


Howl of Vengeance

by Grey_H



Category: Goblin Slayer (Anime), Goblin Slayer (Manga)
Genre: F/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:34:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 70
Words: 345,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23645461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grey_H/pseuds/Grey_H
Summary: What started with a simple goblin slaying quest, ended up with our party rescuing an unexpected companion...a dire wolf.  Now our story follows our party as they encounter new comrades while they battle the forces of chaos in the ever changing games designed by the gods, though the threat of the goblins is ever present.
Comments: 18
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

He ran as fast as his little legs could carry him; turning he could still see the armored demon with the red glowing eyes clutching the ax his brother had been using. He needed to tell the others, their ambush should have succeeded, but they underestimated the number of adversaries, but once the others were warned, they would make the intruders pay. Before he could make it any further, all thoughts ceased, the cause of which was the ax it had seen a moment ago was now imbedded in the back of its skull. The runner collapsed with a thud as the blood pooled around its small green body.

  
“That makes fifteen.”

  
The voice was dispassionate, almost mechanical. It came from a human clad in a dirty helmet and leather armor. Attached to his hip was a sword of strange length, on his left arm was a small, round shield and in his left hand was a torch.

  
To a new adventurer, one would take one look at this odd fellow and come to the conclusion that their own gear was far better that what he was wearing, perhaps a rookie like themselves, but to those who actually knew him, could tell this was an experienced silver ranked adventurer, the Frontier’s Kindest…the Goblin Slayer.

  
“You really need to stop throwing your weapons away Orcbolg.”

  
The voice came from an elven archer with long ears who frowned at the bodies around her. The armored warrior didn’t so much as turn as he drew out his sword and checked the bodies to ensure they were truly dead.

  
“It came from one of the goblins, I can always steal another one.”

  
The Elven Archer puffed her cheeks in annoyance as her ears flapped ever so slightly.

  
“I’ve told you before Long-Ears, Beardcutter is a stubborn one, even more so than I am.”

  
This voice came from the group’s Dwarf Shaman who smiled as he stroked his beard.

  
“I’m just saying, leave the long range targets to the only one of us best suited for the task as hand”

  
The Elven Archer stuck out her chest with pride all the while the Dwarf Shaman stroked his beard while smiling.

  
“But of course…with an anvil for a chest, nothing would get in the way of your bow now would it?”

  
Immediately High Elf Archer covered her chest all the while glaring at the Dwarf Shaman.

  
“Why you…short excuse for a wine barrel!”

  
“Lady Ranger! Sir Mage! I think now is not the best time for you to be quarreling, lest you both alert the rest of the foul creatures to our presence.”

  
They turned to see the imposing image of the Lizard Priest tower over them, instantly taking the fight out of both of them. The Lizard Priest sighed as he placed his hands together in front of him, his breath wheezing out from his jaws.

  
“If nothing else, it’s nice to see they’re such good friends that they can argue like that.”

  
The final member was a beautiful young woman dressed in the vestments of the clergy over her chain mail. She gripped her sounding staff as she finished her prayers to the Earth Mother before continuing with her party.

  
“Given what we’ve seen so far, what are your thoughts Beardcutter?”

  
“There are more goblins than I originally thought, and they actually have armor, but still we will kill all the goblins.”

  
The group smiled wearily as they followed the oddly dressed leader deeper into the cave.

  
“Do you think the captives are still alive Goblin Slayer?”

  
“I don’t know, the quest is still fairly new, so it is possible.” Goblin Slayer as he continued on then paused upon the fixture in front of him. “Look.”

  
“What is it Goblin…oh, a totem.”

  
Before the group was a mounted skull upon a stake with various feathers around it.

  
“Which would indicate the presence of a shaman does it not Milord Goblin Slayer?”

  
“The one leading this horde. They must be planning to raid the village and the women would be used to bolster their forces. The earlier assaults were just to scout the area before they launch their full scale attack.”

  
“These filthy creatures…is there no end to how low they’ll sink?”

  
“That’s why we’re here Long-Ears, so ensure these little devils pay for what they’ve done.”

  
“Then it’s time to move.”

  
Ever forward they pressed on, dispatching a couple sentries along the way. They soon came upon a section of the cave which must have been the dumping grounds for the unwanted materials. Several bones, chunks of rotten meat, and broken weapons lay around the area. High Elf Archer examined the pile and to her chagrin found two Guild tags among the remains, one porcelain and one obsidian.

  
“Looks like we found the remains of the previous group.” Dwarf Shaman commented as he examined the corpses closest to him.

  
“Didn’t Guild Girl tell us that the party was comprised of three?” Priestess asked upon finishing her prayers.

  
“Indeed.” Lizard Priest added as he too concluded his prayers “Yet we only find two tags, which may indicate one of the party may still be alive?”

  
“If there are only two tags here, then the final party member must be a woman.”

  
Goblin Slayer examined the weapons but found nothing of use among the refuse, but further inspection turned up remains of the cave’s previous owners. The body’s skull, limbs and most of the intestines were missing, which would explain the totem they saw earlier. Near this body were smaller bones, very little meat stuck to the blackened bones, indicating they had been roasted, possibly while alive.

  
“Wolves. A mother and her pups…looks like there were three little ones.”

  
“Truly dreadful. A mother and her offspring attacked in their home and turned into food for the vile creatures.”

  
“They must have found this cave and dug further to build their encampment.”

  
“What of the father? Can’t imagine he’d abandon his mate and her litter, what do you think Scaly?”

  
“He too may have become food for the goblins, assuming he has not returned yet.”

  
“Then he’s likely to attack whoever is in front of him if he does find this. This adventure is getting worse as we go on.”

  
“There’s no time to waste, we must crush this nest before there are more fatalities.”

  
As they moved further into the cave, the group kept wondering just how many more goblins there could be. They had killed seventeen thus far, but there was still no sign of the shaman. In Priestess’ mind she found herself thinking back to nest they had to deal with while attending the wedding in the forest. The shaman had incapacitated her comrades and things could have gone much worse had she not done what she had.

  
“Wait.” High Elf Archer whispered as her ears took in the nearby sounds. “I hear goblins from up ahead, and something else…something growling.”

  
“Let’s move.”

  
They cautiously moved forward until they came to a section that descended, from a hidden vantage point they peered over to side to see what was below them.

  
“What do you see?”

  
“There are three goblins down there Orcbolg and…there’s the animal making those sounds.”

  
The goblins cackled with clubs in hand as the beast in front of them snarled. The wolf with black fur and red eyes was shackled to the ground with manacles around each limb to keep it from moving any closer. As Priestess looked at the animal, in the darkness these wolf’s eyes seemed to glow, and in that instant was immediately reminded of Goblin Slayer.

  
“Those eyes…just like Goblin Slayer’s. That poor animals, he’s lost everything and yet is still willing to fight.”

  
One of the goblins brought its club down upon the head of the wolf, a quick splash of blood hit the floor and dripped from the goblin’s club, but the wolf did not fall. It snarled once again as it attempted to attack its captors, struggling to remove itself, all the while the goblins laughed.

  
“Poor beast.” Lizard Priest tightened his grip around his tooth blade.

  
“Look at the size of it…much larger than a normal wolf.” High Elf Archer followed as she drew an arrow from her quiver.

  
Goblin Slayer’s eye began to glow within the dark as he readied to attack.

  
“Yes…a dire wolf.”

  
**Author’s Note: After doing a little research on wolves, I know that a dire wolf isn’t much larger than a regular wolf, about 25% bigger, but for the sake of this story I plan to make this wolf much larger and more muscular. Think of it like a full grown pony, even on all fours about five feet tall and around 600 pounds. I want this to be an imposing creature, even to a goblin champion. *Hint, Hint***


	2. Chapter 2

The young receptionist at the Guild finished with the report from the previous adventurer, all the while smiling away as she had been told to do, yet it was not a true smile…that was reserved for another adventurer. She sat at her station in her immaculate outfit with her light brown hair woven into a braid looking over the leftover quests that had not been chosen.

“ _Two troll quests, one asking to deal with a group of bandits, no goblins quests today…at least not any that are still free._ ” Guild Girl’s face changed to one of concern as she looked over to her left at the one quest she had assigned earlier.

Just then, the jingle of the bell above the door sounded, and one quick look brought a smile to her face, to the point she appeared to be glowing. In walked an oddly dressed man with a bold confident stride, the Goblin Slayer. To those who were new, there was a look of shock, wondering if a piece of cursed armor or one of the undead had entered their establishment.

“Good morning Goblin Slayer.”

“Any goblins?”

“Just this one. An earlier group took the quest and headed out.”

Goblin Slayer took the paper and examined the specifics of the job. Livestock and women had been taken, at least ten goblins had been seen, a cave had been discovered close to the village, and to be cautious of local wildlife.

“What was the party like?

“One fighter obsidian, a monk and scout both porcelain. I did caution them to possibly find another member to strengthen their group, but they declined.”

“I see.” Goblin Slayer handed her back the paper about the quest.

“ _The party itself is not that well balanced, even with an obsidian rank. For that many goblins to be seen, the nest must be even larger._ ”

“Well if isn’t Beardcutter.”

Goblin Slayer and Guild Girl turned to see the rest of Goblin Slayer’s party descending the stairs as they made their way toward their oddly dressed leader.

“So what brings you here Orcbolg?”

“It’s time to hunt some goblins.”

“Oh, so you’ll be going after them Goblin Slayer?” A smile crossed Guild Girl’s face showing a sign of comfort knowing that he would be on the quest.

“Yes. If the nest is as large as I think, then the village will be in danger. One more thing…what wildlife do people need to be careful of?”

Guild Girl’s smile changed to a frown as she recalled what the villager had told her and the thought of what the adventurers had described the night they defended the farm.

“Wolves.”

xxxx

“Are they doing this just for their own amusement?” Priestess found herself pitying the poor creature as the goblins struck the dire wolf once again.

“They’re trying to break him.” Even watching the sight, Goblin Slayer’s voice was without emotion. “They’ll be looking to ride him into battle.”

“Like hell they will.” Elven Archer let loose an arrow toward the trio below.

The arrow struck the closest goblin in the right side of his head with enough force that the small body actually flew about a foot toward its left. At the same time the elf fired her arrow, Goblin Slayer and Lizard Priest leapt down toward the landing and rushed in with blades drawn. The other two goblins and the dire wolf immediately turned their attention toward the direction the arrow came from and saw the two warriors charging forward.

The goblins were too slow to react and were easily slaughtered. Lizard Priest brought his blade in a downward motion, cutting the first goblin into two diagonal pieces. Goblin Slayer rushed in and struck the goblin with back of his shield, breaking its twisted nose and knocking it to the ground. Before the goblin could even register the pain from it the first hit, Goblin Slayer plunged its sword into the back of its head before giving it a violent twist.

The wolf had stopped its growling and snarling the moment the first goblin had been killed as it cautiously watched the two in front of it. It then turned its head as it heard the sound of the more people coming to join the two in front of him. The wolf couldn’t understand the all the sounds coming from their mouths, but the moment all eyes were focused on him, it immediately tensed and readied to fight.

“Did you see that? This is the skill that only the elves can produce!”

“So impressive…one arrow to kill one goblin.” The evident sarcasm in Dwarf Shaman’s voice was not lost on anyone.

“I didn’t see you do anything in this last battle.”

“Waste a spell on a single goblin? Come now Long-ears, someone as old and wise as you claim to be would know better than that.”

“Eighteen…Nineteen…Twenty.” Goblin Slayer calmly cleaned his blade with the goblin’s loincloth before inspecting the blade.

“Now then Milord Goblin Slayer, what should we do with this one?”

Goblin Slayer and the others turned their attention back to the dire wolf who barked and growled at them. High Elf Archer was cautious as she readied another arrow, ready to put the wolf down before it could attack any of them. Priestess once again felt pity for the creature in front of her, but knew full well that this was a dangerous wolf. Goblin Slayer slowly walked toward the wolf, sword still in hand. Despite being shackled to the ground, the wolf still snarled, baring its teeth at the armored warrior. Both looked at one another with what looked like glowing eyes in the darkness.

“Goblin Slayer, sir?”

Goblin Slayer raised his sword and brought it down, cutting the rusted metal chain around its right front paw. The wolf flinched at the sound, expecting the human to attack him as others had done before, but stopped its growling when it realized the chain around its leg broken and it was able to move more freely. Goblin Slayer purposely moved around the wolf repeating the same motion until all chains were cut, the manacles still remained, but at least the wolf was able to move.

“Orcbolg! What are you doing?”

“Breaking the chains.” Goblin Slayer calmly replied as he sheathed his sword before joining his party.

The dire wolf looked back at the group, and instinctively growled as it took a shaky step toward them. The Lizard Priest, Elf Archer, and Dwarf Shaman all readied themselves, Priestess tightly griped her sounding staff while trying to keep herself from moving back, only Goblin Slayer did not act.

“Let us see what he will do.”

The dire wolf took another step before fatigue finally set in, the wolf suddenly collapsed on its side struggling to keep its eyes open. Blood ran from its wounds from where it had been beaten, stabbed and cut by the goblins upon its return to the cave. 

It had gone hunting for its family, bringing back a young doe body in its massive jaws. Upon entering the cave, the stench of the goblins was present all around him and there close by the entrance was a goblin holding something in its filthy hands. It quickly lunged for the goblin, still holding the corpse of its pup, and tore into its throat with sheer ferocity. Before it could continue though, it was struck by a bolt of lightning, as it was knocked to the ground it saw a goblin with an odd stick with a red stone on it pointing at him, the moment he fell, the other goblins descended upon him.

For several days, he endured the torture of the goblins all the while they killed and devoured him mate and pups in front of him. He witnessed the humans who had entered the cave, but were ultimately defeated and consumed by the monsters. Now, that it had its freedom once again, it could only lay there waiting to die from its wounds.

“Goblin Slayer sir, may I?”

“Go ahead.” Goblin Slayer gave a slight nod.

Priestess immediately rushed to the downed creature, the wolf looked at the small human, but was too tired to even growl. Priestess knelt down by the wolf and placed her tiny hand upon the large wolf.

“O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, lay your revered hand upon this child…”

A bright light surrounded the wolf, the cuts along its body miraculously began to close themselves.

“You truly are a strange one Orcbolg.” Elf Archer put away her weapons and moved toward the wolf as well. “Let’s do something about those manacles.”

The wolf opened its eyes, the pain was no longer present, and even though it was still tired, it indeed felt better than it had been in the last few days. It looked around and found the other female adventurer carefully removing the manacles from each limb. Once finished, both girls returned to their party before turning their attention back to the wolf. The wolf raised it head to examine itself, surprised to find his wounds healed and its limbs free from the confines. It turned toward them once again, not able to comprehend why they had aided him as it titled its head to the side inquisitively.

“I must say Milord Goblin Slayer, this is most unexpected.”

“He should be able to recover now. Though I’m not sure if this is the wisest choice Beardcutter.”

“Be that as it may, we need to continue on. There are still other goblins to deal with.”

The party turned and readied to continue through the cave, when the dire wolf gave a small whine causing them to look back. The dire wolf attempted to stand but seemed to lack the strength to do so, once again it whined as it starred at the adventurers. It locked eyes with the Goblin Slayer, attempting to discern what the human was thinking and in attempt to say, it could still fight.

“You should rest.”

The dire wolf heard the sounds, it could not understand the words itself, but could recognize the tone as being calm. With a final whine it placed its head down and watched as the party moved onward through the darkened cave. Once it was able to, it would go after the other goblins; if possible, it would return the favor and help those who helped him, but the goblins needed to pay for what they had done…the goblins needed to die!


	3. Chapter 3

“That is quite the number of goblins to deal with Milord Goblin Slayer.”

The party came upon a large opening that gave way to an enormous chamber, within that chamber they could see what they would have to deal with. More than fifty goblins cackled with weapons in hand, all eyes on their leader at the front, guarded on either side by hobgoblins. The shaman continued to speak, eliciting a roar of delight from the small army.

 **We will slaughter the humans in their village!** Goblin Shaman raised his staff toward the ceiling showing his superiority over the others. **Feed upon their animals! Feed the entrails of the men to their women and children! Use the children for target practice and take the women for our pleasure!**

The goblins cheered and raised their weapons as they danced in place at the thought of the coming attack.

**We must punish those humans for sending their adventurers after us. They will know how superior we are when he attack tonight.**

“Gods above, this alone would be more than enough to lay waste to the village. No wonder that first party had been so easily defeated.”

Dwarf Shaman’s comment was very sound, clad in armor and bearing weapons both goblin-made and stolen from other sources, this was a force that no rookie party could have dealt with. High Elf Archer looked over the horde in front of them and it was then she saw movement other than the goblins toward the left of the cave.

“There on the side of the hobgoblin.”

The party looked over and saw six nude females slumped to the floor and shackled to the wall. From where they were, it was unclear if all the captives were alive, but once the horde had been dealt with, they could at least return the bodies.

“How should we proceed Goblin Slayer? Should I cast Holy Light?”

“The shaman must die first.”

“I can get a clean shot from here very easily.” High Elf Archer smiled as she readied her arrow.

“Don’t be too hasty there Long-Ears, perhaps we can use the same tactic we used with the nest on our first goblin quest.”

“Do it.”

Dwarf Shaman smiled before taking his jug of fire wine in readiness to use Stupor, but before he could spit his mist an arrow struck his right leg. The horde turned and each snarled and hissed as they saw the party of adventurers and charged forward to attack. The group failed to see the three goblin archers that were perched above goblin shaman, they were tasked with killing any goblins that argued with shaman (promised first privilege with the female captives.)

“Sir Mage!” Lizard Priest shouted as he picked up his fallen companion.

“Damn you little bastards!” Dwarf Shaman grunted as he held his sore leg contemplating whether to pull the arrow out or not.

“Fall back!”

Lizard Priest, still carrying Dwarf Shaman, and Priestess were the first to run, then followed by High Elf Archer as she managed to let loose an arrow, unfortunately killing one of the normal goblins instead of the shaman. Goblin Slayer brought up the rear, knowing that he needed to by some time in order for them to get to a more defendable position, he reached into his pouch and drew out a small egg full of crushed pepper and threw it back behind him. The cry from the goblins and sound of them falling over each other was reassuring as the group continued through the cave. The group soon reached the spot where they had assisted the dire wolf, but found the wolf and the goblin corpses gone.

“Where is the wolf?”

“That’s the least of our problems, what do you want to do now Orcbolg?”

“We will defend from this location, if need be we can fall back further, but we need to reduce their numbers. Create a warrior, with him injured we’ll need assistance.”

“Understood.” Lizard Priest carefully set his friend down before reaching for his catalysts. “How are you?”

“I’ve been better.” Dwarf Shaman grunted as he got himself into a sitting position before looking at the Elf. “I bet you’re just thrilled that I was finally hit with an arrow?”

“I’d only be happy if it was one of mine. If it’s any consolation, I know from experience that it hurts like hell.”

“I’m not out of this fight yet, just give me a healing potion, no need to waste a spell on this.”

With a final grunt, Dwarf Shaman ripped the arrow from his leg before tossing it to the side, he then graciously took the heal potion from Priestess and downed it in one gulp. In the meantime, Lizard Priest threw down his catalysts then pressed his hands together to begin his chant.

“O horns and claws of our father, Iguanodon, thy four limbs, become two legs to walk upon the earth.”

As he finished the last of his chant, a skeletal warrior emerged from a blast of white light and stood ready to fight. The sounds of the goblins drew closer, but now the party was better prepared to meet their opponents, or at least they believed they were.

“Be ready to use Holy Light!”

“Of cour…”

A bolt of lightning flew past the party and hit wall behind them, with an explosion sent debris flying knocking all party members to the ground. The party struggle to get back up, the sound of the explosion still ringing in their ears, Goblin Slayer was the first to see the shaman walk toward them followed by the hobgoblins and the horde. The Dragontooth Warrior was the first to rise and quickly collected Priestess and High Elf Archer while the others pushed themselves up.

The goblins rushed in, quickly surrounding the still stunned Goblin Slayer and Lizard Priest, while Dwarf Shaman struggled to get back to his feet. The goblin shaman laughed as he motioned for the goblins to continue their attack, suddenly a howl pierced the battlefield. The all eyes looked upward to see the dire wolf snarling at them before leaping down…down at the goblin shaman. With wide eyes, goblin shaman was struck by the wolf, the weight of it crushing its rib cage as it was pushed to the ground. The shaman coughed up some blood, it would be the last thing it would ever do, as the wolf open it jaws and bit down upon the goblin’s head crushing its skull in one powerful bite. The goblins looked on with shock as the wolf shook the shaman’s body as if it were an old rag; their confusion was all the advantage Goblin Slayer’s party needed to turn things around.

“Come out, you gnomes, it’s time to work, now don’t you dare your duty shirk – a bit of dust may cause no shock, but a thousand make a lovely rock…Stone Blast!”

“O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, grant your sacred light to we who are lost in darkness…Holy Light!”

The light blinded the goblins and the blast of rocks killed several of the goblins allowing the rest of the party to launch their attack. Goblin Slayer, Lizard Priest, and the Dragontooth Warrior hacked and slashed at the goblin bodies while High Elf Archer fired arrow after arrow at the horde. The dire wolf tossed aside the shaman’s body before snarling at the closest hobgoblin. The hob took as step back as it saw the blood stained teeth from the wolf, instinctively the hob only considered saving itself, it turned and only managed to take a few steps before the wolf once again pounced on its prey’s back. The weight of the wolf brought the hob crashing down, easily exposing its neck which the wolf eagerly bit into. The hob tried to scream but chunk after chunk of its flesh was torn out and devoured by the dire wolf.

“That’s the last of them Orcbolg.”

High Elf Archer sighed as she wiped the sweat from her brow, she looked over to find Dwarf Shaman who happily helped himself to his fire wine.

“I thought you were in pain.”

“That’s what the fire wine is for Long-Ears.”

Priestess carefully wrapped up his leg, Dwarf Shaman continuing to claim a healing spell would be wasted on him, so instead he would help himself to his fire wine. Once finished, she joined Lizard Priest so they could finish their prayers, she then saw Goblin Slayer finished checking the bodies to make sure none were still alive.

“That makes seventy-seven.”

“I must admit Milord Goblin Slayer, I was worried when the spell from the shaman knocked us down. I’m grateful to the assistance of our friend here.”

The party turned to find the dire wolf still feeding on the hobgoblin; the wolf finished licking its chops then turned to face the others. The wolf not showing any signs of aggression slowly walked toward the party, only pausing once it was in front of Goblin Slayer. Goblin Slayer looked down at the wolf with head slightly turned, though there wasn’t too much a difference between the heights, then calmly patted the head of the massive creature.

“You did well.”

Goblin Slayer’s friends looked on with wide eyes at the sight of Goblin Slayer petting massive wolf before returning his attention back to them.

“What?”

“Well look at you Orcbolg, making new friends.”

“Before we start celebrating, we need to get back to that final chamber and tend to the captives Lady Ranger.”

The party carefully moved around the corpses to head back to the large chamber, and were surprised to find the wolf still following them, it seemed to make it a point to stay close to Priestess and High Elf Archer.

“Well aren’t you friendly.” High Elf Archer smiled as she petted the side of the wolf, in her experience, she had never gotten this close to a wolf before.

“It seems like he’s trying to keep us safe.”

“Is that so?”

“It would make sense seeing how Lady Ranger and our young Priestess here did tend to his wounds and bindings earlier.”

“That, or this big boy has a thing for girls.”

“You keep quiet you dirty old man.” High Elf Archer’s ears flapped slightly as he face had a slight red tint to it.

Upon reaching the chamber, the party found that two of the captives were already dead, a look of exhaustion and depression froze upon their face. The others were alive, including rhea scout from the previous party, but they too bore the same expressions upon their faces. The girls were quickly released from their bonds, using the rain ponchos in the kits they covered the girls up and readied to get them out of the filthy cave.

“Are you able to carry a person?”

Goblin Slayer’s question was addressed to the dire wolf who continued to follow them. The wolf looked back at the armored man then gave a small bark.

“I see.”

“Goblin Slayers sir, are you able to understand this creature?”

“No. I’m just gathering information for the task at hand.”

The dire wolf stood still as the bodies of the dead women were placed along its back. The Dragontooth Warrior carried two of the hostages, one in its arms and the other strapped to its back, Lizard Priest and Goblin Slayer each carried to other girls. With their work finished, it was time to report back to the village and deliver the girls.

“Your comrades did not make it.”

The girl along his back barely winced her upon hearing the news, Priestess and High Elf Archer both sighed in frustration upon seeing and hearing him speak.

“Goblin Slayer! I told you before you need to be more tactful when you are speaking with others.”

“It’s the truth.”

“Truth or not you really need to learn how to better speak to people Orcbolg.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes it is Orcbolg! As a fellow silver rank you need to act a little differently.”

“Hrm.”

“She’s right Goblin Slayer, besides if Guild Girl was to hear about this she would be very upset, so upset she may not give you any more goblins.”

“Erk…that would be troublesome…I will try to talk differently for next time.”

The party smiled upon hearing his remarks as they continued out of the cave, this adventure had been quite interesting, but they still needed to deliver the captives back to the village. Late in the afternoon, Goblin Slayer and his party arrived at the entrance to the village. Two young men patrolling by the entrance were surprised to find the party walk toward them with what they believed were the captives, but even more surprising was the large wolf walking with them.

“Look out! Wolf!”

The party stopped as they watched the two men point their pitchforks at them as menacingly as possible. The dire wolf began to growl as it looked at the humans, taking a step forward to assert its dominance. It then felt a gloved hand gently patting the side of its neck, it looked to the right and saw the High Elf Archer smiling at him. The wolf stopped its growling and stood in place with its eyes staring at the two men ahead of him and the others.

“I, I know this will be hard to believe, but the wolf is not dangerous.” Priestess smiled then bowed as if to apologize for bringing the wolf here.

“The wolf is dangerous.”

“Goblin Slayer, you’re not helping!”

“It is a dire wolf.” Goblin Slayer’s voice remained emotionless as he continued forward. “This wolf helped kill the goblins.”

“It…it did?”

“Yes. Here are the captives.”

The two men quickly put away their tools and called for assistance from the others to get the women. The wolf tensed up as the people drew closer, but found Goblin Slayer placing a hand along its back, it would not attack, but would not drop its guard.

“Thank you for all your assistance.”

“All the goblins have been destroyed.”

“Uh…thank you once again, we’ll be sure to treat the injured adventurer as well.”

With the formalities out of the way, the party decided it was time to return back to home. Once away from the village and back toward the forest, the dire wolf paused and watched as the rest of the individuals continued on. Goblin Slayer and the others stopped when they realized that the wolf was no longer following them and turned to see the wolf staring back at them. The party wanted to call out to him, he had assisted them on this quest, easily killing the shaman and one of the hobs, but they also had to remember that this was not some abandoned dog they were picking up.

“I guess this is goodbye then.” Priestess frowned at the thought they would be parting ways.

“I will make sure to have a better opinion of wolves from here out.”

“For once, I agree with you Long-Ears.”

“Go in peace noble beast.”

Goblin Slayer looked at the wolf allowing his and the wolf’s eyes to meet once again; the rest of his party looked to him, wondering what was going through his mind…other than goblins of course.

“Are you coming?”

All eyes were wide as they heard what Goblin Slayer had just asked, and grew even wider when the wolf actually came over toward Goblin Slayer and his friends. Goblin Slayer turned and continued on with the dire wolf by his side, the others took in the sight of the peculiar bond they had seen, then quickly caught up with them.

“Do you truly plan on keeping this beast as some sort of pet Beardcutter?”

“He may be useful in killing goblins.”

“So he’ll be like the canary then? By the way, did you ever give that bird a name Orcbolg?”

“Canary.”

“You can’t be serious?”

“Then what about this one here Goblin Slayer sir?”

“Wolf.”

“Orcbolg….for goodness….surely you can be a little creative?”

“It’s a wolf. Wolf will do.”

Lizard Priest and Dwarf Shaman laughed, the girls smiled while shaking their heads, yet again they find themselves with a new and unusual companion. Goblin Slayer continued on with his bold stride, but beside him now was not just Priestess, but Wolf as well. High Elf Archer could not help but smile as the thought of how much fun they would have with this new companion on their party and the reactions the others would have when they met Wolf.

“I can’t wait.”

“Did you say something Lady Ranger?”

“Nothing important.”


	4. Chapter 4

Cow Girl walked the last of the cows into the barn, wiping the sweat from her brow with her handkerchief. She smiled as she looked out at the field knowing that all the work had been done, and now she could rest happily. He had been gone these last three days on a quest, but she could take comfort in the knowledge that he was no longer having the go on these quests alone. She still worried about him of course, especially with the knowledge that there were two women with him, but he had always been a business and only business type of person. Now on this fourth day she once again looked out to the road to watch for him, and to her surprise found an individual in dirty leather armor walk toward the farmhouse. A smile broke across her face at the sight of her childhood friend finally returning home.

“Welcome ho…”

She was unable to finish, for behind him was a dark looming figure, a creature walking on all fours yet standing nearly as tall as her friend, a wolf unlike anything she had ever seen was behind him. Was this creature stalking him? Was he unaware? Did his helmet obscure his vision? All she could do was warn him and hope that the warning came in time.

“Behind you!”

Goblin Slayer stopped and turned around to look, and to her surprise the wolf also stopped looked toward Goblin Slayer then turned as well. She stood there with wide eyes and mouth hanging open as both casually turned back toward her and continued to the farmhouse.

“I don’t see anything. What did you see?”

“There’s a wolf behind you.”

“I know.”

“You do…then tell me why there is a wolf behind you? Why isn’t he attacking?”

“He helped kill the goblins.”

Cow Girl was not quite sure how to respond to such a statement and soon found that her friend and the wolf were only a couple feet from her.

“I’m home.”

Cow Girl sighed, she already knew how he was after watching him for the last six years. She figured that she had come to understand everything there was to know about her odd friend, but evidently he still had a few surprises for her. With that said, there was of course only one thing she could do.

“Welcome home…both of you.”

Goblin Slayer nodded his head while Wolf slowly approached Cow Girl. She tensed up as Wolf approached her, this creature was about the size of a small horse and probably just as heavy, even as it approached she was practically looking it in the face rather than looking down at it. With the wolf only inches from her, it moved into a sitting position, and stared at her. She cautiously moved her hand out to pet the massive beast, constantly expecting it to bite or growl at her, and gently placed it upon his head. To her surprise it was not as coarse as she was expecting it and gently stroked the top of his head, then as if on cue she saw his tail briefly wag.

“ _He reminds me of the dog I used to play with at the village when we were kids._ ”

She smiled as she continued to pet the gentle giant in front of her and soon felt the bumps of hidden scars beneath its fur. It was only then that she saw its red eyes looking at her, that she was really able to make the connection.

“ _He’s just like him, beneath that armor he bears all the scars from his journeys, and now I find that unlike those ones that attacked the farm with the goblins, this one kills goblins. Then again, I can actually see that you’re happy with the attention I give you, so you’re at least more honest than he is. I wonder…is this what adventurers refer to as a familiar?_ ”

“What’s his name? Do you plan on keeping him?”

“He is Wolf, and I planned on having him accompany me.”

“Absolutely not!”

Goblin Slayer and Cow Girl turned at the sound of the angry voice and found her uncle standing there with pitchfork in hand.

“Get away from her!”

Wolf looked toward him and began to growl as it moved back into a standing position. Cow Girl placed both hands on Wolf in an attempt to calm him down, which worked as it once again sat down.

“You bringing that wizard boy here was one thing, but I’ll be damned if that…that monster is staying here!”

“He is a wolf.”

Farmer sighed as Goblin Slayer stated the obvious as if correct the identification of the animal.

“Exactly! He’s a wolf on a farm full of livestock. What are you going to do if he eats one of the cows or pigs?”

“He will not harm the animals here. He will hunt in the forest.”

“How can you be sure?”

“I will tell him.”

The farmer was at a loss for words upon hearing what Goblin Slayer said. Was this boy that naive to believe that if he told the wolf not to attack it would listen to him?

“We could always use a form of protection should the goblins ever come back uncle.”

“You stay out of this and stay away from that thing.”

“He hasn’t attacked or even growled at me, it even came over to let me pet it. You should at least try to pet it uncle.”

“And lose my hand?”

The wolf stood once again and slowly walked over toward the farmer who still held his pitchfork out. The wolf soon stopped, moved into a sitting position and once again stared at the farmer. The farmer was still as tense as ever waiting for this beast to attack, but it only stood there watching him. The farmer sighed in defeat as he lowered his pitchfork and moved a hand to pet the wolf. The wolf allowed him to pet him, but did not wag its tail as it had with Cow Girl.

“He gets locked up in the work shed come night time. If he so much as thinks about eating any of my livestock or my daugh…niece, he’s getting put down.”

“Understood.”

“So…you’re calling him Wolf huh? Does that make that bird “Canary” then?”

“Yes.”

Once again the farmer sighed as he turned and walked toward the front door, leaning his pitchfork along the wall. Goblin Slayer, Cow Girl and Wolf remained outside before Cow Girl once again went to pet Wolf, gently stroking his fur and giving his side a couple pats.

“ _He’s so big…I wonder if I could ride him? But that might be rude and improper of me to ask that kind of question._ ”

“I’ll bet you’re both hungry, I’ll get started on dinner.”

“Okay.”

With a smile she skipped over to the house to get started on the stew he loved so much. Goblin Slayer remained outside and turned to look at Wolf who looked back at him.

“Don’t eat the animals here.” Wolf barked once before panting with its tongue out. “I see.”

xxxx

The townspeople had gotten used to the sight of Goblin Slayer and Cow Girl, but there was shock and slight fear as the large dire wolf followed beside them. People visibly moved away to hide as the wolf continued to walk, every now and then Wolf looked at the people and surroundings around him, so much different from the forest it inhabited. The trio soon reached the Guild Hall, where Cow Girl had to make her deliveries.

“Once I’m finished I’ll meet you inside.”

“Okay.”

Goblin Slayer and Wolf proceeded to move to the entrance, other adventurers who were heading in and leaving the Guild were surprised to see them both and, just as the townspeople had done earlier, quickly moved aside. Guild Girl was busy at the front taking quests from the other adventurers when she heard the familiar jingle for the door, she and the other usual adventurers all looked up to see him walk in.

“Oh Good Morning Goblin…”

He walked in as he normally did, but behind him followed the large wolf. Spearman spit up his drink as the dire wolf followed behind Goblin Slayer, while his partner Witch smiled while tapping an inquisitive finger against her chin. Heavy Warrior, Female Knight and their party could only look on with mouths wide open at the sight of the dire wolf entering the Guild Hall. The others adventurers at the front of the desk quickly moved away allowing Goblin Slayer and Wolf to approach right away. Even Guild Girl was taken aback at the sight, but being the professional, quickly recomposed herself as they drew near the front desk.

“G, good morning Goblin Slayer.”

“Hello.”

“I take it this one is with you?”

“Yes. He is Wolf.”

“Wait, are you saying his name is Wolf or stating that he is a wolf?”

“Yes.”

Guild Girl smiled, though mentally she could feel the nerve on the right side of her head throbbing.

“ _I remember his party saying that he would have quite the surprise for me to see, but I never imagined this. At least, he actually came up with a name for the wolf, even if stating what it is as its name is a little uncreative._ ”

“If you’re not busy, I’d like to make my report.”

“Oh of course.” With a smile she readied her quill and ink. “Whenever you’re ready Goblin Slayer.”

“It was a large nest. There were seventy-seven goblins.”

“Goodness that sounds terrifying. Are you alright?”

“Yes. The horde was led by a shaman and two hobgoblins. They took the cave of a family of wolves as their camp. There were six total captives, including one of the party members of the previous group. The other two were killed and devoured.”

“I was worried something like that might have happened. Did you manage to save the other member of their party?”

“Yes. Two of the other captives were already dead, but the rest were rescued. This dire wolf was the only survivor, he killed the shaman and one of the hobgoblins. All the goblins were killed.”

“Thank you Goblin Slayer for all your help with this quest. I have already split up the reward and given them to your party, I have yours here. May I ask why…Wolf is with you?”

“He came with us after the quest. He’ll be useful killing goblins.” Goblin Slayer casually picked up the small coins and placed them into his pouch.

“I see.” Guild Girl smiled then looked toward the wolf who looked back at her with his red eyes. “ _It’s like looking at a mirror image of Goblin Slayer…I wonder if everyone else came to the same conclusion?_ ”

“Goblin Slayer!”

All eyes turned toward the sound to see the young Priestess coming down the stairs with sounding rod in hand.

“How could you bring him in here?”

“He followed behind me.”

“I was wondering if Wolf would be coming with Orcbolg.” High Elf Archer and the rest of the party looked down from the second level at the sight below. “Did you like the surprise I was talking about?”

Guild Girl smiled then looked back to find Goblin Slayer looking at the quest board obviously looking for any goblin quests, but still found Wolf staring at her. To say she was a little nervous would be an understatement, but Wolf at least was not showing any signs of aggression. Wolf then stood and began to move, actually moving behind the desk towards her. Guild Girl wanted to move, but felt if she was to stand suddenly it might agitate the wolf. Everyone saw this and readied themselves to intervene if necessary, all but Goblin Slayer who looked toward Guild Girl and Wolf before looking back at the quest board.

Wolf walked right up to Guild Girl, who was still sitting at her desk, trying her best to keep perfectly still. From where she was sitting, the dire wolf actually towered over her and then, as if sensing her discomfort, placed its massive head upon her lap, much to the horror and jealousy of Spearman. Guild Girl looked down at the wolf, completely shocked by his actions, who looked up at her, she carefully moved her hand down until she was able to gently stroke the top of his head. Wolf closed his eyes as she petted the massive dire wolf all the while smiling away like she was petting a cat.

“ _You’re just a giant sweetheart aren’t you?_ ”

“Are you okay my dear? If need be, I will gladly save you.”

Spearman walked closer toward the front desk, wanting more to chase away the beast from the girl he liked, but of course claiming to be the hero. Wolf opened his eyes to look at the approaching Spearman and began to slowly growl, never taking his head away from Guild Girl’s lap. Spearman immediately stopped, to which Heavy Warrior and Female Knight laughed at the sight.

“Looks like he showed you. What’s wrong…is the Frontier’s Strongest scared or jealous?”

“Indeed. From what I just saw, I think the wolf is trying to protect her, for good reason I might add.”

“Shut yer traps!” Spearman fumed at being slightly humiliated before looking at Goblin Slayer. “Would you get hold of this dumb animal?”

Goblin Slayer turned back toward the furious Spearman then back to the front desk to see Guild Girl still petting the dire wolf.

“He does not appear to be bothering her.”

“Well he’s bothering me, not get that beast away from her!”

Goblin Slayer stood motionless for a while moment then turned toward the front desk and in his usual dispassionate voice called out.

“Wolf.”

Wolf’s ears picked up and then he moved off Guild Girl’s lap and moved back to join Goblin Slayer. Now that the ice had been broken, all patrons returned to their conversations and actions, every now and then turning back to examine the wolf. In her mind, Guild Girl could not help but smile at the thought of Goblin Slayer running around a field playing fetch with the giant wolf, the image in her mind almost made her laugh out loud.

“You’re lucky I have a date, which is ruins to explore, otherwise I’d be giving you and that, that thing a piece of my mind.”

“Understood.”

Spearman huffed and puffed as he stomped out of the Guild Hall, while this was happening, Witch slowly made her way toward the large wolf. Without the hesitation of the others, she reached out and began to scratch the right ear of Wolf and smiled when she saw him wag his tail. Taking a gently puff from her pipe, she exhaled the smoke toward her right as not to bother the dire wolf.

“My…you do…find such…interesting…companions. I’m curious…to see…what…you two…will…accomplish.”

Goblin Slayer nodded as she walked to catch up to her fuming partner. Dwarf Shaman smiled as he saw the whole spectacle and continued to stroke his beard.

“Given his actions with Long-Ears, the young lass, the Witch here and our Guild Girl, this beast may actually fancy women.”

“At least he knows to be friendly and protective of women, unlike some wine barrels I know.”

“What’s this now Long-Ears, jealous that the wolf paid attention to them today and not you?”

While the conversation was going on, Goblin Slayer went back to the front desk to make his inquires.

“Any Goblins today?”

“None today Goblin Slayer. But thank you for bringing your friend in, it was very enjoyable.”

“Is that so?”

“Indeed, he’s much friendlier than I would have imagined.”

“I see.”

Goblin Slayer moved toward his normal table with Wolf, where the rest of his party came to join him.

“Hey Orcbolg, I take it there are no goblins today?”

“No.”

“Well that means you’ll be free for another adventure, and if you remember you owe me one for the help after the festival last fall.”

“I have not forgotten. I will repay my debt.”

High Elf Archer’s ears drooped with a heavy sigh. “You could at least try to act happy or excited to be going on a different quest.”

“Goblin Slayer, we talked about this before. You need to be more considerate of those who are trying to be nice to you.”

“I will try.”

“I tell you what Orcbolg, you can even bring Wolf with you.”

“Will we need him?”

“Could be?”

“Very well then.”

The party conversed and waited around for Cow Girl to finish her deliveries and come in to retrieve Goblin Slayer and Wolf. She graciously joined them for a meal, even Guild Girl bought Wolf some meat to happily devour. When they were finished, the trio made their way back to the farmhouse, so ended the first official visit of Wolf to the Guild Hall, but tomorrow would provide a new adventure for them to undertake, the details High Elf Archer would keep to herself until tomorrow.


	5. Chapter 5

The young boy and his sister played near their house while their mother tended to the wash, on such a bright sunny day all was peaceful in this village. The men, women, and children doing what they would normally do, but as soon as night fell, then things would drastically change. Only those on patrol would remain outside with weapons drawn and bonfires lit while the rest huddled in their homes praying that the nightmare would be over. The last three nights had been peaceful, but now was not the time to drop their guard.

Their house was closest to the edge of the village, so of course their mother was always on constant watch, even during the day. Her children were all she had left of her husband, and of course she would do whatever was needed to keep them safe. That concern, like those of everyone in the village, was the very reason they sought out the adventurers help, although there was no way of knowing just what kind of adventurer would be coming if any.

Her ears above her head began to twitch as they picked up a new sound, footsteps from outside the village and they were drawing near. As she turned toward the road her canine-like nose took in the new smells, there were several of them. The others of the village, Dog-faced Padfoots, also picked up on the new sensations and were just as eager to see who was coming. One smell though was troubling, the smell of a wolf.

With the sun high above, they all saw them, a set of five individuals, each varying in height approaching their village. The adventurers had finally arrived, a mixed sense of relief and wariness washed over all of them, but for the children there was a sense of awe at these individuals who traveled around and fought monsters. However that was quickly replaced by fear as a sixth shadow quickly came over the hill and joined the five adventurers, a shadow of a large wolf.

“Here we are.” High Elf Archer smiling at the sight of a warm inviting village as opposed to the usual dank and dark caves they frequented.

“It looks like they were expecting us.” Priestess smiled at the sight of the people.

“Given their extraordinary sense of smell and hearing, they probably knew we were coming from quite a ways away.”

“Indeed. I do hope they have some cheese here to dine on.”

Dwarf Mage and Lizard Priest conversed while their leader, Goblin Slayer, calmly looked around the area, taking in everything around him.

“There do not appear to be any visible signs of goblins.”

“Orcbolg I already told you this is not a goblin quest.”

“Goblins may appear from anywhere. Best to be prepared.”

“Again Goblin Slayer sir, you need to be a little more open to trying new things.”

“Hrm.”

“Look at it this way Beardcutter, you can at least test if your goblin slaying techniques will work on non-goblins. If not, then you can try new ways and then apply them to hunting the little devils for next time.”

“A fine learning experience either way wouldn’t you say Milord Goblin Slayer?”

“Hrm…very well then.”

“Speaking of new things, I wonder what they’re thinking when they see Wolf here?”

Dwarf Mage smiled as he turned to see Wolf walking close behind smelling the ground, every now and then examining either side of the forest. The group finally arrived in the village where they were examined by the residents, in particular Wolf. The elder of the village came forward, walking stick in hand, and bowed his head before the adventurers.

“I thank you for your hasty arrival.”

“Rest assured, our party stands ready to offer aid in whatever capacity.”

Lizard Priest nodded as he placed his hands in an odd gesture, this response brought a smile to the faces of the people, but there was still some concern over the dire wolf who was laying on the grass as it gave a big yawn.

“What about you large companion there?”

“He is Wolf.”

All eyes turned from Goblin Slayer towards Wolf who could now be seen sleeping as he continued to lay on the grass. The behavior of the dire wolf was indeed odd to the Padfoots, never before had a wild animal acted so relaxed in the presence of others, almost as if it was disinterested in what was going on.

“What troubles this place?” Goblin Slayer’s voice was dispassionate, matching the demeanor of the wolf near him.

“Of, of course. Follow me and I will explain all.”

The party followed Padfoot Elder toward the largest building of the village while Wolf remained behind. Many of the villagers were still cautious of the dire wolf, making sure to keep their children behind them, until Goblin Slayer calmly called out to it.

“Watch the village.”

Wolf’s ears twitched as it picked up its head turning toward Goblin Slayer and the others and barked once. It then stood and proceeded to casually walk toward the border of the village, not paying any attention to the Padfoots as it actually passed by several of them. They looked on with wide eyes, but the kids threw caution to the wind and actually ran after the wolf to see what he would do. Wolf casually sniffed at the ground while two of the kids swallowed their fear and reached out to pet the large wolf; Wolf turned to face them initially sparking a sense of fear and worry from the kids and parents who were ready to defend their little ones, then returned to inspecting the ground as the kids laughed and continued to pet the massive beast.

“ _It didn’t even growl at them. I’ve never heard of a wolf ever act this way._ ” Padfoot Mother watched as her kids, along with others, continued to follow the wolf then turned back toward the party. “ _Just who are these adventurers?_ ”

“Goblin Slayer sir, are you sure it is wise to leave Wolf alone out there?”

“He will watch for trouble.”

Priestess turned to see Wolf continue to smell around the village while the kids followed after it. Many of the others followed behind them to hear the conversation while others returned to their daily activities. Priestess was still concerned, but soon felt a hand upon her left shoulder, turned to find High Elf Archer smiling back at her.

“Have faith in our companion.”

“Right.”

Inside the large hall, Padfoot Elder stood before the fire place while the party took the nearby table. Many of the other villagers stood in the back wanting to hear and if need be chime into the conversation if allowed.

“For a time we lived in peace, then one night they came…demons. Monstrous entities with horrid clawed hands, row upon row of jagged teeth, and voracious appetites for flesh. They attacked stealing away men, women and children and slaughtering any that stood in their way. The last few nights have been without incident, but we know they may return anytime now.”

The party heard the story, just one look at the others in the village confirmed what the elder spoke. The fear that these attacks would continue until the village was reduced to nothing. Dwarf Mage was intrigued by the discussion and knew that more information was required if they were to go any further.

“I doubt you’d just let them have their way?”

“We have managed to kill several during the night raids, even driving them back without any of our people being taken, but their numbers never seem to dwindle.”

“Is it possible that the ones you slew were not truly dead?” High Elf Archer wondered as she tapped a finger against the table.

“No, we made sure they were destroyed, even going as far as to burn the corpses the following day.” A young Padfoot male spoke up, signs of damage were evident by the bandages around his arm and waist.

Padfoot Elder sighed heavily. “There have been nine attacks thus far. All but two times we ended up losing people, from those who are taken to those dying to keep us safe.”

“Demons though would not attack in such an unusual pattern, they normally kill all in their way.” Lizard Priest said as he closed his eyes to think over the situation. “The taking of prisoners may indicate that they are serving under another who has more fiendish plans for those who were taken.”

“Have you contacted the military for assistance with the demons?”

Priestess asked while looking over all those around her who bore similar injuries. Padfoot Elder’s head slightly dropped as he stared at the floor and upon further look, many of the other Padfoots did the same. Priestess was not sure she understood the situation, although High Elf Archer, Lizard Priest, and Dwarf Mage had a pretty good idea. It was then when a dispassionate voice spoke up and said what was on everyone’s mind.

“They could not be bothered with the troubles of non-humans.”

“Yes.” Padfoot Elder finally responded.

Priestess gasped at the thought, her teachings had always stressed compassion toward all earthly creatures, the thought of humans turning their back on other prayers because of their race was appalling. The rest of the party remembered the words of the leaders when being selected for their quest, the humans may see them as allies, but they do not view them as equals, it was then when Goblin Slayer stood drawing all eyes upon him.

“It’s time to get to work.”

“Then…you’ll help us?”

Goblin Slayer nodded before turning toward the door, his party smiling as they joined their leader to prepare for the possible night raid. The Padfoots in the hall watched as the adventurers exited out into the bright light, many had heard the ballad of the Goblin Slayer, and although this person did not seem to quite fit the image that was described, they could truly see why he was called the Frontier’s Kindest.

xxxx

Deep within the darkened forest, protected in their misshapen fortress, a dozen or so robed individuals chant as their leader moves closer and closer toward the black cauldron in front of him. Above it is a bound and gagged Padfoot female hanging from a rope around her feet. Eyes wide with terror as she can see the knife in the leader’s hands. Her fate already sealed as she need only look at the other Padfoots who lay dead on the ground around them. The Padfoot looked at the approaching man, but he is no man, his skin black as the darkness around them, eyes red like blood and smile filled with razor sharp teeth.

“Rejoice! Your life force will aid in the resurrection of the great demon lord who will cleanse this world of the impure. Your sacrifice will bring us one step closer to a glorious utopia.”

Demon Priest grabs hold of her hair followed by an audible grunt of pain from the Padfoot, brings the knife towards her exposed neck and in a quick motion, drags it across her throat smiling as the blood flows from her wound into the boiling solution before them. The robed men rejoice as the blood sacrifice cause a red plume of smoke to rise up taking the shape of a toothed monster before dissipating.

“For the glory of the demon lord! We are one step closer towards his return!”

The robed men once again cheer all the while Demon Priest smiles before them. He motions for them to take the corpses towards his swarm to feed them for the attack this night. The robed men dutifully head the words of their leader, all the while chanting as they carried the bodies away. Once alone, Demon Priest laughs maniacally before turning his attention back to the cauldron.

“ _Those mindless sheep…how easy it is to corrupt the heart of a human. When their benevolent gods abandon or fail them, it is easy to be swayed by the gods of Chaos with the simple promise of easy power. These fools too will become fodder for my master, they need only serve me until his revival._ ”

He motions his clawed hands around the cauldron to see what lies before him and his plans to finally wipe out that accursed village once and for all.

“I will do what those in Water Town failed to do! Their mistake was to draw too much attention to themselves in their attempt take revenge against the Sword Maiden. I won’t make that same mistake, no one will care if a few Padfoots are taken and no Hero will come for these forgotten miscreants. Now…tell me about the village.”

The smoking liquid within the cauldron began to swirl and change until he was able to make out new shapes, six of them. It would seem that a group of adventurers had arrived in the village, though this would not be cause for any sort of alarm. The visage began to change once again and then he saw a red light, no a red eye glowing within the darkness. A shadowy figure stood tall with its left eye glowing and beside it was another set of red eyes, a monstrous entity beside it snarling at him.

“My master…it must be! A sign that his resurrection comes tonight and with him a beast from hell to serve him! I need more sacrifices rich with fear…the children will serve my needs to bring about my master’s glorious resurrection! No adventurer will stop me, there is no way I can fail!”

 **Author’s Note: A big thanks for your support and patience with this project. I’m surprised at how well it has gone, I honestly thought it was an interesting idea, but wasn’t sure if others would get into it as I did. Now that my teacher’s conference is done, I can get back to updating a bit more regularly. I look forward to continuing Wolf’s adventures with Goblin Slayer’s party**.


	6. Chapter 6

Goblin Slayer and the party carefully made their way around the large wooden fence that surrounded the village with Wolf by their side. High Elf Archer and Priestess assured everyone that they should continue as they normally do and would let them know what they found. Wolf barked drawing their attention to certain spots where claw marks were visible in the ground below, Goblin Slayer would look up and see scratches along the wall as well. Before continuing on, Goblin Slayer would make it a point use his sword to carve out a small spot at the top of the fence

“What are you doing Orcbolg?”

“Identifying where they have been climbing the fence.”

Goblin Slayer continued along with this until he marked nearly a dozen spots the creatures had been coming into the village. These spots were more than likely the weakest points of entry, hence the reason there were not more scratch marks around the village.

“Goblin Slayer sir, look.”

Goblin Slayer and the rest turned to find Wolf close by the tree line to the forest scratching furiously at the ground and growling as he did. Wolf looked back up toward the others and let out a long howl before returning his gaze back to forest.

“It would appear that our companion has located something Milord Goblin Slayer.”

“Yeah…where they’ve been coming out of the woods Scaly.”

Goblin Slayer said nothing for a few moments, only looking out at the area before him. A flat open field covered in grass, not a single rock or boulder to hide behind. After his silent observation, he turned toward the Elven Archer to relay the first part of his plan.

“Shoot an arrow, hit the ground about halfway between here and the forest. Then shoot another arrow across from it, five meters from the first.”

“I’m curious to see what you’ve got planned here Orcbolg.” High Elf Archer smiled before taking one arrow after another and striking the spots designated. “There you go, two arrows in the ground. What next?”

“Now it’s time to get to work. Wolf.”

Wolf barked and quickly came running back from the forest and joined the party as they prepared to explain their plan to the village, before entering the village Goblin Slayer paused and turned toward High Elf Archer.

“Am I allowed to use fire?”

“You’re asking that now.” High Elf Archer sighed but soon smiled looking back at Goblin Slayer. “Since it isn’t goblins, I’ll say yes just this time though.”

“Understood.”

“And it better not be burning the forest down Orcbolg!”

Goblin Slayer said nothing as he continued into the village which did not sit well with High Elf Archer, but now was not the time for foolishness, night would be upon them soon and they would need to be ready for their enemy.

xxxx

Night fell, Demon Priest and his followers stood above a pit looking down at the small horde of demons who snarled and hissed as they hungered for flesh. The bones of the previous Padfoots lay scattered around them, completely stripped of flesh, their appetite was insatiable and now they looked up at the Demon Priest for their next meal.

“Now is the time…tonight, our dark lord shall rise up once again and lay waste to all who oppose us. The humans and those who side with them shall become our slaves and your food, and those who never lost faith in our great lord shall be rewarded with unlimited power!”

The robed followers behind him chanted in unison while the demons bellow with bloodlust on their minds. Demon Priest smiled with wide eyes as he looked over his small army, knowing tonight he would get the last of his sacrifices and then he would witness the glorious rise of his master.

“You will bring me the children, alive and unspoiled, the rest you are free to devour and play with however you please!”

The demons roared as the gates to their pit opened allowing them freedom to exit the forgotten fortress and move through the woods. Demon Priest watched with joy as they marched forward slowly disappearing from sight as they entered the darkened woods, heading toward their Padfoot village where soon the cries of anguish would fill the night sky.

xxxx

“Just so you know, I am not happy with this.”

The darkness of night had fallen upon them, just as before, the Padfoots locked themselves within their homes while the few warriors, that were able to, stood ready with spears and bonfires. The only thing that was different, was the five adventurers and their dire wolf who stood outside the village with weapons drawn. High Elf Archer’s ears drooped slightly as she looked before her, seeing the two flaming arrows planted in the ground.

“I said **you** could use fire. You Orcbolg! Elves do not have a fondness for fire, it can destroy the things you want and those you don’t far too easily.”

“I require your skill. Only you can be counted on for this task.”

There were many things about Orcbolg that irked High Elf Archer, but his honesty was not one of them. She looked at Orcbolg with wide eyes upon hearing him, the slightest blush crossed her face, then smiled as she steeled herself to the task at hand.

“Really Orcbolg…you sure do know how to make a girl smile.”

“What’s this I see? Are you blushing Long-Ears?”

“Shut up Dwarf!” High Elf Archer’s face lit up at the sound of Dwarf’s teasing.

Lizard Priest and Dwarf Shaman laughed heartedly, while Priestess smiled as everyone tried to ease the tension before the coming battle. High Elf Archer growled at the sound of their laughter then saw Wolf beside her who looked up and barked twice before panting heavily.

“Now don’t you start.”

Their laughter soon died down, and High Elf Archer’s ears began to flap quickly as she picked up on the sounds coming from the forest.

“They’re coming!”

“Get ready!”

“Of course Milord Goblin Slayer!” Lizard Priest threw down several dragon teeth catalysts and began his chanting. “O horns and claws of our father, Iguanodon, thy four limbs, become two legs to walk upon the earth.”

Two Dragon-Tooth Warriors rose up and joined the rest of the party who focused their eyes on the tree line. The party heard them even before they saw them, gangly looking, orange-skinned demons with yellowish eyes, eyes that seemed to glow in the dark, slowly made their way out of the forest. One after another emerged, the group counted at least three dozen or so of these monsters, who stood and snarled at the sight of the adventurers in front of the village.

“Now that’s a demon horde. What do you say Long-Ears, shall we have a contest to see who can slay the most?”

“Are you that eager to be shamed by me dwarf?”

“I think that’s fear and hesitation I hear? What do you think Beardcutter?”

“I’m not sure.”

“If I were to take up that challenge…I would want a reward of cheese.”

“I would never have guessed that. Ok, so Scaly is in, what about you Beardcutter?”

Goblin Slayer was silent as he looked over the group of monsters that stared back at them, drool dripping from their mouths. Priestess frowned as Goblin Slayer stood there silent, wondering what was going through his mind, but of course thinking about it would never give her the answer she was looking for.

“What’s wrong Goblin Slayer sir?”

“So…those are demons? They don’t appear to be goblins.”

The response should not have surprised them, but just as with the ogre, the group could only look at each other and smile as they heard his emotionless response.

“Tell you what Orcbolg, if you win then the next quest we take you on will definitely involve goblins.”

“Very well then. Wolf’s kills will also count toward mine.”

“Hold on there Orcbolg, that’s not fair in the least bit!”

“It was a joke.”

“Ha, ha, ha! You continue to surprise me Beardcutter, but now is no the time for jokes, here they come!”

The demon horde roared as they charged forward, once these fools were dead and devoured, they could focus on the village. The bloodlust was strong as they continued to close the distance between them, but this was what Goblin Slayer was expecting.

“Now!”

High Elf Archer took up the first flaming arrow and fired then quickly followed with the second. The arrows flew, but were not heading towards the demons themselves, but the ground. The moment the arrow struck, a wave of flames rose up and consumed three of the demons in one group and two more in the next group. The rest of the demons quickly halted and proceeded to move around the flames while the rest screeched as they burned. High Elf Archer let loose a couple arrows the easily pierced the skulls of a couple of the demons who collapsed while the rest of the horde trampled over them.

“That makes seven for me!”

“Seven! Come now Long-Ears, the flames were Beardcutter’s idea. Those first five don’t count.”

“If I didn’t shoot those arrows, then the plan would never have worked!”

“Get ready for the next wave.”

“O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, grant your sacred light to we who are lost in darkness…Holy Light!”

From behind the party was a brilliant blast of light, the demons screeched in pain, those blinded by the light came to an abrupt halt, but were quickly knocked over as the others behind them pushed forward. As the demons fell over one another, Dwarf Shaman smiled as he knew was the time for him to shine.

“Gnomes! Undies! Make for me the finest cushion you will see.”

The solid ground beneath the demons began to change to that of a moist swamp, with the demons ensnared Goblin Slayer and the others charged in to attack. Dwarf Shaman and High Elf Archer continued their assault while Priestess used her sling to temporarily incapacitate the demons while the others pressed the attack. Wolf leapt forward knocking one of the demons down and immediately going for the exposed neck, tearing out its throat as the demon gurgled up blood while trying to scream.

“Now oh great and fearsome dragons, behold your descendent in battle!”

With blade in hand, Lizard Priest continued his onslaught, knocking back an approaching demon with its tail before pouncing on it. Goblin Slayer too would push the attacking demon back with its shield before plunging his blade into their chest or throat. Dwarf Shaman suddenly caught movement from the corner of his eyes and saw a small group of the demons break away, making for the village.

“Long-Ears to the left!”

High Elf Archer turned and saw the group of ten moving away from the main battle, but with the main force still attacking, she did not have the luxury of taking her time to shoot them one at a time.

“I won’t be able to get them all, not from here, not in the middle of this chaos.”

Dwarf Shaman thought for a moment then remembered her ability to shoot the winged demon from the moving cart during a prior mission, he looked around and caught sight of Wolf.

“Can you shoot from horseback?”

“What kind of questions is that, of course I can, but I don’t see any horses around here.”

“Then how about from “wolf-back”?”

High Elf Archer looked at him with a surprised expression, but that soon melted into a big smile with her ears flapping happily.

“Wolf!”

Wolf turned and ran toward her, once he was close enough High Elf Archer gulped wondering just how well this plan would work, but quickly yet gracefully leapt onto Wolf’s back. Wolf looked back toward her panting from the constant movement, he did not growl, but was not sure what she was doing as he slightly turned its head to the side. She motioned for him to look forward and he could see the others monsters running away, the sight of the prey running before him excited the dire wolf.

“Alright boy, show me what you can do.”


	7. Chapter 7

Padfoot Mother winced as she heard the cries and howls of pain from outside her home, she hugged her children tight as the fear of the attack weighed heavily on her. She thought back to what the adventurers had asked earlier, though at first the tasks seemed so unusual.

“ _We need two small trenches and then have them filled with oil, once these…whatever they’re called cross the spot, the oil will be ignited and will consume them. The trenches will not be too deep, so there will be no fear of setting the forest on fire. The spots I marked along the fence, we will place sharped stakes inside the fence, as they come over the side they will be impaled by their own weight. I will pay for the extra service required._ ”

“Will it be enough?”

She suddenly felt pressure on both hands and looked down to see her two children smiling back at her.

“Don’t worry mommy.” Padfoot Daughter patted her mother’s hand.

“Those adventurers will beat the monsters! Wolf is really strong, he can’t lose!” Padfoot Son yelled as he jumped up.

Padfoot Mother looked at her children, feeling such shame for being afraid while these two young ones had such faith in these adventurers. Perhaps it was young childish innocence, but at that moment, Padfoot Mother could not help but smile and too put her faith in these adventurers.

“You’re absolutely right.”

xxxx

Wolf may not have been as big as a horse, but he sure moved as fast as one. High Elf Archer grabbed onto the tuff of fur, making sure not to pull too hard, but had no desire to be flung off as Wolf raced forward. As they drew closer, she then steadied herself and ready her bow and arrow, then fired. The arrow flew fast and struck the nearest demon in the back of the head, easily piercing through the skull, the demon fell forward with a thud drawing the attention of the others. Five of the demons turned to see the elf and wolf approaching, but the rest continued to rush forward, determined to take the children and taste the flesh of the villagers. The five that remained roared as they prepared to attack the elf and wolf.

“Got to keep the rest of them busy.” High Elf Archer leaned toward her right hoping Wolf would veer right as well. “To the right boy, we’ll circle around them.”

Wolf could not understand the words the elf was saying, but could determine what she was requiring. Wolf moved around the five snarling demons, while the elf let loose another arrow, killing another one of the demons. He then made a large arching motion and charged forward snarling himself, but this easily set them up as she let loose three arrows in rapid succession, each arrow killing a demon with ease. The final demon was actually afraid and hesitated, allowing Wolf to sink its teeth into its left arm and drag the screaming demon to the ground. Wolf growled, still running forward with demon in tow, the demon panicked looking at the wolf then back at the elf who was smiling at him with arrow drawn. She let the arrow loose and watched as it killed the demon, whose body was still being dragged along the ground until the arm was finally torn off the rest of the body.

“ _Now this is how an adventure should be!_ ” However she couldn’t just keep these thoughts to herself and made sure to give Wolf’s side a few good pats. “Good job Wolf.”

High Elf Archer looked to her right and saw the remaining demons had already reached the fence and began to climb over it, they would soon enter the village, but they would be in for one hell of a surprise.

“We’ll leave them to Orcbolg’s trap, let’s back to the others.”

Wolf dropped the arm and let loose a howl as it rushed back toward the other party members. The demons climbed the fence and leapt over the side, only to find a field of sharpened stakes below. Gravity took control as the demons plummeted onto the stakes below, horrid screeches filled the night as those that did not die instantly were left to suffer. At that moment, the Padfoot warriors rushed toward the sounds and found two of the demons still writhing in pain, taking spears in hand stabbed the demons repeatedly until they stopped moving.

Unknown to anyone, three demons had remained hidden within the trees watching as the others were killed by the adventurers. When more than half of their number had been slaughtered, they knew their master would punish them if they were to return empty-handed, but could not charge forward as the others had. They snuck off, staying low to the ground, taking the long way around toward the village and heard as those who leapt over the fence cried out in pain. The trio climbed the fence to see the others being killed, not wanting to make the same mistake, leapt toward the rooftops of the nearest houses. Each demon used their claws to tear through the roof to break into the houses beneath them. Padfoot Mother and her children screamed as the demon snarled at them.

“Stay behind me!”

Padfoot Mother stood before her children with arms stretched out, only for the demon to strike at her with its horrid claws. A splash of blood, a cry of pain, and Padfoot Mother was thrown to the ground. Her children screamed as the demons large hands gripped each around the waist and effortlessly lifted them into the air.

“N, no…my children!”

The demon roared before breaking through the door to rejoin the other demons. The Padfoot warriors rushed toward the screams and roars to see the demons holding five children among the three of them. Before they could cut the demons down, they leapt toward the top of the closest house then leapt once again over the fence. Padfoot Mother crawled forward, despite the pain and blood running from her wounds only to see the demons spirit away with her children.

“Please…give them back!”

Goblin Slayer and his friends finished with the last of the demons just as the flames were beginning to die down. The battle had been long, but at the very least none of them had any injuries to worry about.

“Well then, that’s five for me, what about you Scaly?”

“I claimed seven demon heads myself Master Spell Caster.”

“Seven.”

“Then that makes me the winner with thirteen.”

“I told you already Long-Ears, those first five don’t count, not to mention Wolf here easily killed a couple himself.”

“Even with that, I’m still winning dwarf!”

“I’m just glad everyone made it through unharmed.”

Suddenly a scream rang out from the village, as the party turned they happened to notice three surviving demons running back into the forest.

“Damn cowards! Run all the way back to hell with your tails between your legs.”

Dwarf Shaman frowned as he watched the demons disappear into the darkness, but he and the others knew there was more to this than them just running away in fear. Another scream could be heard from the village, a sudden sense of urgency swept through the party as they quickly rushed back toward the entrance of the village. Once back in the village, they saw the Dog-Faced Padfoots tending to the injured Padfoot Mother and two corpses covered in blood close by them, then Padfoot Elder and the others turned to see the adventurers.

“The demons?”

“They have been slain.”

Goblin Slayer’s response was dispassionate as ever, but did bring them all a sense of relief, that is until Priestess added the final bit of news.

“We did see three run back into the forest.”

“No! My children! You have to get them back!”

As Padfoot Mother cried out, a look of horror and shock crossed all the faces of Goblin Slayer’s party, though Goblin Slayer’s expression was hidden behind his helmet. Before Priestess, or any of the others could say anything to him, they saw him clench his fists so tightly they could hear his knuckles crack. Padfoot Mother looked toward Goblin Slayer with tears in her eyes, and pleaded with him once more.

“Save them…I beg you.”

“I will.”

He turned toward his party and saw the determined look upon all their faces, whatever fatigue they might have been feeling was replaced with anger.

“Let’s go.”

The party followed behind Goblin Slayer, quickly making their way toward the forest. Wolf paused to allow Priestess and Dwarf Shaman to climb up on his back before running forward and taking point.

“How do we plan to find these demons Milord Goblin Slayer? If we waste too much time, those young ones will be lost.”

“We’ll follow Wolf.”

“Wolf? How would he know where the demons came from Orcbolg?”

“He can track them. Find the smell Wolf.”

Wolf continued forward, the smell of the demons was easy to track, their stench filled the forest air so clearly that Wolf would have no problem finding them.

“Try to steady your breathing, we’ll need our strength to finish this fight.”

“No need for fear Milord Goblin Slayer, these claws will tear through those beasts with ease.”

“I’ve got plenty of strength left Orcbolg.”

“Riding Wolf here will give me and the young lass time to catch our breath.”

“We’ll be ready Goblin Slayer sir.”

Goblin Slayer nodded as he continued to follow behind Wolf, torch in hand to guide him so he would not have to worry about tripping on a tree root or landing incorrectly. Every quest he’d undertaken involved those already taken for some time, but this time was different, this time he would be there to ensure nothing would happen to those children. Just as he alone had protected that village that rainy night long ago, he would make sure that no more lives would be lost, these children had endured enough.

“No child deserves to go through that hell.” It was low, almost a whisper, but still empty of emotion.

Only High Elf Archer could hear him, she looked toward Goblin Slayer, wondering what was going through his mind, with his face hidden beneath his helmet, all she could do was guess. She continued to ponder as she turned back to focus on the trails when a thought crossed her mind.

“ _Does he mean himself? No one should have to follow the same path he did? You’re so busy saving everyone else, but what about you?_ ”

“We’ll save them Orcbolg, don’t you worry.”

xxxx

“Master, they return.”

Demon Priest smiled a toothy grin at the news, soon the sacrifices would be here and then his great lord would return to rid this world of those deemed unworthy. He followed behind the robed men toward the pit, and sure enough the demons came in carrying the screaming children, but there was a problem…there were only three demons present.

“Quickly, take the children.”

The robed men took the children, still crying and screaming, and carried them away toward the sacrificial chamber. Demon Priest frowned as he looked back toward the remaining demons to determine what happened.

“Where are the rest?”

The demons replied in a strange language to which Demon Priest grew enraged.

“How could five adventurers wipe out my demons? You ran away in fear, you, wait…did you kill the adventurers?”

The demons replied once again, and Demon Priests face fluctuated from rage to fear.

“They’re still alive? You damn fools made have led them here. I must finish the ritual, you will hold them until then!”

Demon Priest rushed back toward his followers and motioned for them to take up weapons to kill the defilers who would seek to stop their ritual. He looked to the children, with wide crazed eyes, knowing that time was running short.

“ _I must hurry…I must not fail!_ ”

xxxx

After running for what seemed like forever, the party came upon a large stone structure deep within the woods. Priestess and Dwarf Mage dismounted and stood by Goblin Slayer and the others. Priestess prayed to the Earth Mother to watch over there group and continue to protect the children until they got them out of this awful place.

“Let’s go.”

The party broke through the large wooden door only to come under fire from arrows. They quickly moved for cover, Wolf making sure to once again stay Priestess and High Elf Archer. He growled as he attempted to move forward, but was held back by both girls.

“Damnit Wolf, you trying to get yourself killed?”

“There.”

Goblin Slayer pointed with his sword toward the top of a nearby stairs and find robed men raining arrows down upon them. Before they could really ponder on it, they heard loud chanting and found more men moving toward them carrying jagged daggers in their hands.

“Who the devil are these men?”

“It doesn’t matter, we need to move.”

Priestess took it upon herself to use her miracle, she had two left, and knew right now they would need to disorient their attackers.

“O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, grant your sacred light to we who are lost in darkness…Holy Light!”

The light filled the chamber, blinding the robed men, allow Goblin Slayer’s party to visibly see where the archers were and determine just how many adversaries they would have to deal with. High Elf Archer quickly let loose an arrow to hit one of the robed men watching as he toppled over onto the floor below.

“Get moving Orcbolg, get to the children!”

Goblin Slayer and Wolf rushed up the stairs, knocking back one of the still disoriented men before moving on to the next room. Goblin Slayer paused as he looked around, the next corridor led to three possible hallways, choosing the wrong one meant the children might be killed. Wolf’s ears twitched as he heard the distant sound of the kids crying and barked toward the hallway toward its right.

“Good job.”

Goblin Slayer and Wolf pushed forward, until Goblin Slayer was tackled by something, the demon dug its claws into Goblin Slayer’s left arm, fortunately his chainmail minimized the damage he was receiving. Wolf turned and growled as the demon pinned Goblin Slayer to the ground, but soon yelped as a set of claws dug into his fur, growling once again he shook his entire body trying to get the demon off his back. Goblin Slayer used his shield to keep the demon’s jaws from biting through his flesh, then quickly drove his sword into the demon’s throat. As he tossed the demon corpse aside, he look over to see Wolf struggling and rushed to strike the demon. As the demon was knocked to the floor, he once again plunged his sword into demon’s chest and continued to push until the demon finally stopped moving. A third demon rushed in, but Wolf tackled the beast to the ground before it could get to Goblin Slayer, sinking its teeth into demon’s throat tearing away the flesh before devouring it.

“You okay?”

Wolf took another bite from the demon flesh before turning toward Goblin Slayer, his tail slightly wagging.

“Good.”

xxxx

Demon Priest was in a panic as he heard the sounds of battle, he needed to finish the ceremony quickly. With the final runes drawn on the floor, he turned his wild eyes upon the children. A twisted smile crossed his face as he saw them cower in fear, two of them having already wet themselves.

“That’s good, that fear will bring about my Master’s return that much faster!”

Demon Priest stalked forward with knife in hand, the knowledge that he was going to succeed was thrilling. He would be a hero to the demons, the one who did what everyone else failed to do, his master might even share power equally with him, and all that was needed was just a little more blood. Then he heard the growl of a beast and as he looked up saw a shadow looming over him, he paused then growled as he turned with knife raised high ready to attack but stopped. He dropped his knife and his face broke into a hysterical smile as he saw the sight. Before him within the doorway was a large shadowy figure with a glowing red eye and beside him was a monster whose eyes also seemed to glow as it growled at him.

“My vision…you’ve come…Master!”

All that joy was gone as the shadowy figure hurled something toward him, knocking him on his back with intense pain. Demon Priest gasped, the taste of blood in his mouth, as he looked toward his chest saw a sword planted deep within. He then looked up to see the shadowy figures enter, a man in filthy leather armor and a shield attached to his left arm and a large dire wolf. Wolf approached the children who happily cried and hugged the giant beast while Goblin Slayer approached the fallen Demon Priest.

“How…how did you do this…my plans…my ambitions crushed…by a pathetic adventurer.” Suddenly, as Goblin Slayer stood over him, a terrifying realization hit him. “It you isn’t it…the one from Water Town…the one at the Frontier Town…it’s been you all this time. Who are you?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about, nor do I care.” Goblin Slayer tightly gripped the sword still glaring at Demon Priest with his glowing eye. “I am Goblin Slayer!”

Before he could even comprehend what had been said to him, Goblin Slayer pushed the blade deeper into his chest and gave it a violent twist; Demon Priest cried out before his body went limp. Goblin removed his hand from the hilt, the sword was covered in too much blood and fat to be of any further use. He then turned and began walking back toward the children and Wolf. The sight of this armored man scared the children at first, but that soon disappeared as the adventurer knelt down to check on them.

“Are you unhurt?” The kids nodded their heads which made Goblin Slayer nod his head once. “Let’s get you home, the others are awaiting your return.”

Padfoot Son and Daughter rushed forward to hug Goblin Slayer and cried in relief as the adventurer had saved them all.

xxxx

The rest of the party had finished with the demon cult followers then turned to see Goblin Slayer walking down the stairs carrying two of the children in his arms while Wolf allowed the three other children to ride along his back. The party smiled at the sight of all five children unharmed and rushed to check on their companions.

“Are all of you okay?”

“We’re all fine here Goblin Slayer. Is it over?”

“It’s done, let get them back.”

The party quietly exited the fortress and once again entered the dark woods but now they would be heading for the village. The sun had risen, the Padfoots had moved the demon bodies to a pit and lit the bonfire to burn away the monsters. Padfoot Elder sat with Padfoot Mother as they waited, when he happened to look up and see the party emerge from the trees with the kids in tow. The Padfoots cheered as they rushed to greet the adventurers and gather up their missing kids. The rest of the day was treated as a celebration, there was singing, drinking and eating (especially cheese) as they celebrated the night away. The next morning, the party met with the villagers one last time to say there final goodbyes, the kids happily hugging Wolf and thanking the adventurers. Padfoot Mother walked toward Goblin Slayer and took his hand in hers and bowed her head.

“Thank you, thank you so very much.”

Goblin Slayer nodded his head before he and his party walked away from the village, hearing as the villagers continued to praise them for all they had done. As they walked away, High Elf Archer thought back to her earlier thoughts about Orcbolg and frowned.

“Fourteen.”

Everyone turned toward Goblin Slayer, not sure what he was talking about while they continued to walk away.

“There were four more in the village, and two more of those…whatever they were in the in the fortress, plus their leader. That makes fourteen. I did not count Wolf’s kills.”

It took a moment for them to register what had been said, but soon enough they all broke out into a big laugh. Priestess and High Elf Archer smiled at one another as they were happy to hear Goblin Slayer talk about something other than goblins, and it helped to dismiss High Elf Archer’s prior concern.

“ _We’ll save you just as you save others Orcbolg._ ”

“Now wait a minute, did you also count those robed men as well Beardcutter?”

“I’d almost forgot about those weirdos, so how many did you kill Orcbolg?”

“None, but you did not mention them earlier. I was only counting those…demons right?”

“Correct as always Milord Goblin Slayer.”

“So Beardcutter, how was this adventure?”

“It wasn’t bad, but villages like that will continued to be threatened so long as goblins are about.”

“Some things never change, but a deal’s a deal. The next quest will be goblins Orcbolg.”

Goblin Slayer nodded then gave Wolf a gentle pat on his head which brought another smile to both High Elf Archer and Priestess as they recalled riding on him earlier. Lizard Priest and Dwarf Shaman discussed the recent quest, wondering what the sacrifices were being used for, but then settled on just being able to stop it as enough. None of them had any idea just how important this quest truly was, and no one else even knew about this demon sects plans, but the party could take comfort in the fact that they had been successful once again.


	8. Chapter 8

Wolf lay on the grass as he looked out at the field, the two humans were about tending to the farm animals, and all was peaceful. Wolf gave a yawn before laying his head down while still looking out at everything around him, he’d had the chance to track and attack a large deer in the forest earlier, so hunger was the last thing on his mind. It had been some time since his first encounter with the armored human, Wolf was still surprised by the actions he had taken in the cave, but had come to trust him and the others around him. In the past, humans were to be avoided for although they did not have claws or sharp teeth as wolves, they carried weapons which could easily kill a wolf regardless of how strong. These humans however treated him rather well, just as the two smaller humans in the past.

xxxx

As a pup, the pack had always taken care of him and his siblings, but even growing wolf pups need to be able to explore. In fact, it was not too far from here that Wolf had encountered those two smaller humans. The place had changed, it no longer had the same smell about it, the village had now become some place for people of different races to do their training, but that was unimportant now. As a young wolf cub, he wandered near the village, curious about the smell of the humans and livestock, and there it found two young ones playing in the field. The wolf cub had crouched as low as it could get, awkwardly trying to stay hidden in the tall grass, as it crept forward stalking the kids as it had with the field mice. The two kids, a boy and girl, instantly saw him, but rather than run away, they happily ran towards him. Wolf was startled, instinctively he tried to growl like the elders in his pack, but at his size it came out rather puny. The kids approached him with arms stretched out, Wolf expected them to attack but found them petting and rubbing his soft fur.

“What a pretty dog.”

“It’s a wolf.” The small male child shook his head as he corrected his friend. “I wonder what he’s doing here? Did he get separated from his pack?”

“Are there more cute wolves like him?”

“Wolves can be dangerous, my sister told me about them.”

Wolf was far too interested in the actions of the kids to remember what the pack elders had taught him…humans were dangerous. He happily barked and jumped around as the kids laughed. The small male boy raised up a stick in its right hand, Wolf immediately thought about the weapons humans could use to hurt them, but the boy merely reached out with his left hand to pet Wolf’s head.

“One day I’m going to be an adventurer! With…uh, Wolf by my side I’ll protect you and my sister as I slay dragons!”

“You’re too young to be an adventurer.”

“Shut up! One day I’ll be big and strong, then you’ll see! Come on Wolf, we got to slay those bandits!”

“Wait for me.” The small female child cried out as she ran after her friend and the wolf cub.

The kids laughed as they ran around the field, Wolf as he was called, bounded after them happily wagging his tail. Some time had passed when he picked up a familiar smell, turning back toward the tree line he could see the eyes of his father watching him. He slunk down, tail between his legs and slowly made his way back toward his father. The kids watched their wolf-friend walking back towards the forest, they wanted to go after him but the male boy stopped his friend.

“What are you doing?”

“Over there in the trees, you see it?” The kids looked out and could make out the outline of a large wolf, its yellow eyes watching them carefully. “That’s a big one, he might be dangerous; we better get back home.”

The small female child frowned knowing they’d have to say goodbye, but she wouldn’t let him leave without him hearing her.

“Goodbye Wolf! Thank you for playing with us!”

Wolf turned toward the humans, the sounds were unfamiliar to him, but the tone was not malicious. Wolf’s tail began to wag as he ran back toward the forest with his father, the two wolves stared back at the humans for a few moments before returning to the pack. His first interaction with humans had not been bad, but the next time he visited he would find that things were no longer as they had been. Now older, though still not recognized as a full adult, he ventured back towards the village, still intrigued by his first encounter with the humans. From the tree line he could see the village was smoldering, from the smells he could tell the humans were gone. The stench of blood and smoke filled the air, but there was another scent mixed in with it…goblins. Horrid creatures who were worse than humans; humans killed to protect themselves and for food, for the most part, goblins seemed to kill just for the enjoyment. There was no point in going towards the village, he could no longer pick up the scents of the two humans he had met, they too must have been killed.

xxxx

Many winters had passed since then, he matured and like some of his brothers had left to form their own packs. He’d found his mate and was content with raising his litter in the forest, the humans were not actively seeking him; his encounters with them over the years had been difficult to say the least. Shot with arrows as he ran away with food in his mouth, stabbed and cut while fighting off those that invaded his territory, perhaps the interaction with those two humans had been a fluke, perhaps they were trying to trick him, he could never know. What he did know was the armored human could have killed him that day, but chose to aid him.

The armored human had a strange smell about him, the stench of death and blood clung to him like a sickness, and yet there was the familiar smell like the boy he met in the field. In many ways Wolf thought of him as another wolf, he could tell from the man’s presence that there was a great sadness and anger within him, a thirst for vengeance, just like he had after discovering the fate of his mate and pups. Wolf could not consider himself an alpha, an alpha would have protected those in his pack, yet this man, this alpha, treated him like an equal rather than a lower wolf. In fact, all the people that associated with him treated Wolf with respected. This pack he joined was different, there would be an alpha and all others were subservient to him, but each member, himself included, was seen as an equal to one another, each allowed to make decisions on their own but always making sure to protect one another.

Wolf suddenly found the female human who was with the cows earlier walking toward him. She soon turned and sat beside him on the grass, casually reached out to scratch the tops of his head, Wolf instantly closed his eyes and wagged his tail at the attention he was getting. This human too had a very familiar scent to the girl he met in the field, but there was no way that those two children could have survived that goblin attack. He was not able to protect his pack before, he was not able to protect the little ones that were close to him, but in this new pack he would not allow that to happen again.

“It’s a very nice day isn’t Wolf?” Cow Girl mused as she continued to pet the dire wolf while taking a break from her duties, soon a puzzled expression came across her face. “Wolf…Wolf…why does that sound so familiar as I say it?”

She looked back down at Wolf and a thought came to her, one she had not considered for many years.

“ _I remember now, he and I were playing in the field with that wolf cub, my that was so long ago. I wonder…could he have remembered what he said in the field, and that’s why he calls you Wolf or…no that’s a silly thought…could it be though…_ ”

She looked back at Wolf, really studying him, Wolf looked up at her returning her gaze.

“Is, is it you? Are you the same wolf cub we met all those years ago?”

There was no answer of course, but Cow Girl smiled as she decided that was exactly who Wolf was. He had to be that same wolf they met all those years ago, another happy piece of her childhood come back to her, just as her friend had.

“Don’t you worry Wolf, he’ll be back, he never breaks his promise.”

xxxx

“Well if it isn’t the Goblin Slayer. Where’s your mangy dog?”

Goblin Slayer turned to see Spearman sitting beside the wall casually smiling, every now and then looking toward Guild Girl. Goblin Slayer was a bit confused by the comment; he did not have a dog, it had been years since he had been seen with a dog, it was then that Goblin Slayer realize that Spearman must have been referring to Wolf.

“I do not have a dog. I do have Wolf in my party.”

“Sarcasm is really lost on you isn’t it? Fine, then where’s your mangy “wolf” ?”

“He’s at home. Guarding the farm.”

“You trust that thing around the animals and that cute girl of yours?”

“Yes. I told him not to eat the animals.”

“I don’t know what I was expecting. Anyway, I heard you actually went on an adventure that didn’t involve goblins. What was it? Troll? Evil Wizard?”

“I’m not sure. I only know they weren’t goblins.”

“Every time I talk with you, I feel a headache coming on. Fine, so what brings you to the Guild today, more goblins?”

“That and I was told the Guild had something for me.”

As the line of adventurers cleared, Goblin Slayer finally made his way up to the front desk where Guild Girl was smiling brilliantly at him, much to the chagrin of Spearman.

“Why hello Goblin Slayer, it’s so nice to see you today.”

“Hello.”

“If you’ll wait a moment, I’ll get some tea and then you can give me your report.”

Goblin Slayer downed his tea in one gulp, through his visor of course, then thanked Guild Girl for the drink before giving his report on the quest at the Dog-Faced Padfoot village. The details he provided perfectly complimented what his party members had mentioned; she could not help but be proud of his accomplishments, his heroics and quick thinking saved those children.

“I’m thankful that you made it out of there safely and saved the children as well.” A sudden thought popped into her head as she remembered the two items that had come in for him. “That reminds me, I have here a couple of things here you.”

“What things?”

“A letter from Water Town and this from the Dog-Faced Padfoot Village.”

Goblin Slayer looked at the two items before him, one was an envelope that bore the mark of the sword and scales the other was a scroll that had been rolled up and tied with a string.

“A magic scroll?”

“You won’t know unless you open it.”

Goblin Slayer thought about for a moment before undoing the string and carefully unrolling it, yet instead of magic runes he and Guild Girl found a crude drawing on it. On this long paper they found rough charcoal sketches of figures, one was round and short, the next was a short girl with a stick in her hand, the next was tall figure with fangs and feathers, the next was a tall girl with a bow, the next figure looked like a man in armor, the last was a large dog with a big smile and two little children on its back. Below the figures were the words “Thank You”, all clearly done by a child’s hand. Guild Girl’s eyes sparkled at the sight of this, this was just as good as the thank you letter and corn he received some time last year. How far he had come from his first quests some six years ago

“I believe that’s all of you correct?”

“So it seems.”

Goblin Slayer made sure to roll up the scroll before tucking it into his pack behind his back.

“You be sure to share that with the others.”

“I will.”

“Now what about the other one?”

Goblin Slayer opened the letter and began to look over the contents, Guild Girl could not see his face, but judging by the sounds she heard from within the helmet did not sound good.

“What does it say?”

“It’s a request for me and my party to come and see the Sword Maiden at the earliest. A report of an individual in leather armor seen with a large wolf terrorizing the countryside.”

“That…that sounds like you and Wolf, but that couldn’t be, Wolf has been with you.”

“I hunt goblins.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I hunt goblins…I don’t use them.”

He handed the note to her and she quickly glanced over it until she caught sight of the final bit of information.

“A large group of goblins have been witnessed attacking under his instructions.” The thought of someone controlling goblins who resembles Goblin Slayer was beyond belief she looked back at Goblin Slayer with a worried look. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to hunt these goblins down and their master.”


	9. Chapter 9

“Honestly Orcbolg, like you would even need to ask your friends if they would accompany you on this adventure now let me see that gift you got from the Dog-faced Padfoots.”

Goblin Slayer passed the drawing to High Elf Archer who eagerly looked over the picture, laughing at the image of Dwarf Shaman, but immediately frowned at the sight of the figure that represented her.

“I look more heroic than that.”

“Oh I don’t know, I imagine the picture looks pretty accurate to the real thing, especially the lack of chest.”

“Shut up dwarf! At least I’m not some ball with stubby arms!”

Dwarf Shaman took the picture from High Elf Archer and looked over the picture of himself and smirked before passing it to Lizard Priest.

“True these little ones may be lacking in creation, but this is the first time I’ve received a thank you like this.”

“Indeed, it was quite delightful to have those kids look upon us so fondly.”

Lizard Priest smiled as he realized that in the hand of the drawing representing him was a round object missing a large chunk of it, clearly his precious cheese. With a nod of approval he then passed the picture over toward Priestess.

“Even Wolf looks pretty happy in the drawing.”

“Speaking of which…”

The party rode by cart on their way toward Water Town, but this ride was a bit more cramped than the last few times due to the fact that Wolf was lying between them with his head poking out the back. Wolf happily panted as he took in the scenery before turning back toward the party members.

“Why is he in here? He’s not exactly a small critter and this cart is rather crowded!”

The party leader finally spoke up as he looked toward Wolf then back toward the elf.

“It would be too long a way to make him walk.”

“Shame on you Long-Ears, wanting our poor dire wolf to walk all the way there, and after he was so nice to give you a ride on our last quest.”

High Elf Archer puffed out her cheeks as she starred daggers at the dwarf, but then she found her ears drooping as she locked eyes with Wolf then saw the tag hanging from around his neck.

xxxx

“What is this?”

Goblin Slayer curiously held the porcelain tag in his hand, then as he looked over the details read the name Wolf on it, he looked back to Guild Girl smiling brilliantly back at him.

“I spoke with the manager and explained Wolf’s heroic feats on your last two quests, and it was decided that he could be now counted as an adventurer. Of course since he’s beginning with us, he would need to start at the rank of porcelain.”

“Is that so?”

“I’ll of course need you to keep track of his progress as he will be unable to report to me directly.”

Goblin Slayer was silent for a moment as he thought about what Guild Girl was saying, then responded with a nod of his head.

“Are you going to let the others know about this quest?”

“I will tell them, they can decide if they want to come or not.”

xxxx

“Fine, I’m sorry Wolf.”

The party laughed, save their silent leader, as they continued on drawing ever closer toward Water Town. Upon reaching the entrance to the large town, the party disembarked, the driver and horse eager to ride away from the large wolf. The people around town were at a loss for words at Goblin Slayer and his party continued toward the Temple of Law. From adventurers to the merchants, all were afraid if not curious to see a dire wolf walking with the party, for one thing this massive beast did not so much as growl at a single person. Once inside the Temple, the acolytes were surprised but nevertheless guided the party toward their meeting with Sword Maiden.

“Th, thank you for your prompt arrival, my lady will be delighted to see you again.”

“I’m here to slay those goblins.”

“Of course, but what about your large friend there?”

“He is a member of this party.”

The others smiled at the sound of Goblin Slayer defending Wolf, in a short amount of time he had become a dear friend to the group and those that associated with him. Now the only thing left was to see what the Sword Maiden’s reaction would be. The group continued to follow the acolyte until the came to the great worship hall and there kneeling by the shrine of the Supreme God was the robust figure of the Sword Maiden. The acolyte bowed as she excused herself to leave the party to discuss their quest in peace.

“Oh you’re here.”

Sword Maiden stood and turned to face the party, her sword and scales in hand with eyes hidden behind a black cloth, a smile crossed her face as she was able to make out his silhouette, but paused as she sensed an unfamiliar presence. Next to Goblin Slayer was a large dark shape with eyes that seemed to stare right through her, she was concerned as this shape drew near.

“And…who is this?”

She stretched out her hand toward the dark shadow and was surprised when her hand touched a wet snout. Suddenly this large creature licked her hand, the sudden action brought a slight blush to her face, then this creature slipped its head under her hand where she was able to pet its head and smiled at the touch of its soft fur. Her hand then touched the chain around his neck and as she moved her hand down then felt the tag, allowing her fingers to read the indentions.

“A Guild Tag…Wolf. Is he your familiar?”

“No, he is a dire wolf.”

“A dire wolf?”

“Th, that’s correct ma’am. We apologize for his behavior just now.” Priestess bowed, still feeling intimidated before the Archbishop.

“A dire wolf…then is rumor I’ve been hearing…”

A slight frown crossed Sword Maiden’s face as she recalled what had been told to her about the culprits attacking merchants and villagers in the nearby town. She had come to trust Goblin Slayer after his heroic exploits here in Water Town as well as the goblin attack at the Fall Festival and the rescue of Noble Fencer; she could not imagine him attacking people, especially with goblins.

“I slay goblins and Wolf has helped slay goblins with us.”

“Begging your pardon, our companion Wolf has been us on our most recent quests.” Lizard Priest brought his hands together with a slight bow of his head.

“Though it may seem unusual, he’s a trustworthy animal.” High Elf Archer smiled with eyes closed as she nodded her head in approval of her own comment.

“Not to mention this big fella here has a soft spot for women.”

“Damnit Dwarf, what have I said about your lewd remarks!”

Sword Maiden looked toward Lizard Priest and the others and could sense their trust in this animal, who sat in front of her with head slightly turned. With a sigh and a smile, she reached out to pet the massive creature once again. She only needed to hear it straight from Goblin Slayer and the others to dissuade her suspicions.

“I’m relieved to hear that. I was skeptical that any of you could be responsible for such actions, and meeting this noble beast here has only strengthened my trust. He doesn’t seem to be as hostile as one might think, what was his name again?”

“Wolf.”

“A wolf named Wolf…at least it is easy to remember. Thank you again for answering my request.”

“What are the details of the quest?”

“Goblin Slayer! What have I said about the way you speak with others?”

“The more pressing matter at hand is the goblins…particularly the thought that a human is controlling them.”

“Then I can assume that you’ll be taking on this quest?”

“The goblins and their master must be dealt with. What can you tell us?”

The party smiled before taking a seat on the floor as they listened to Sword Maiden explain all she knew about the rumors, Wolf lay off to the side with its head down as it napped peacefully.

“The attacks have been occurring sporadically for almost a month now. There is a large village some seven days travel from here called Mountain Pass with several smaller farms around it. It’s notable for being in the shadow of a nearby mountain where a ruined and forgotten temple to the Earth Mother still remains.”

“The Earth Mother…and her temple ruined?” Priestess grew concerned at the thought of such a thing happening.

“It was attacked long ago during the human and demon wars.”

“That sounds like the perfect hiding place for these monsters, what do you think Beardcutter?”

“If I were a goblin, I would use it.”

“It is believed to be cursed, many have gone to investigate it, but none have returned.”

“It could be that our adversary is using this ploy to trick adventurers into entering the temple only to be dealt with.”

“Then the real question is not whether or not he’s hiding there, but why would goblins follow a human?” High Elf Archer mused as she placed both hands upon her cheeks.

“He could be a messenger of chaos like that Dark Elf or those hooded monks we dealt with in that ruined fortress.” Dwarf Shaman added his own thoughts as he inquisitively stroked his beard.

“When we find him, we’ll find the cause behind his goblin control.” Goblin Slayer’s emotionless voice replied then turned back toward the Sword Maiden. “What of the victims, have any women or livestock be taken?”

“That’s the other unusual thing about this, in all of the attacks, there have been no women abducted. Most of the villagers are killed save two or three survivors who are sparred under order from this mysterious leader, the only thing taken is livestock for food.”

The party was shocked by this bit of information, not a single woman abducted, only stealing livestock purposely sparring hostages, none of it made any sense. In all their experience over the last year, this behavior was highly unusual for goblins, and for Goblin Slayer this defied everything he had come to learn about the monsters.

“I don’t like it. These actions they’re taking are troubling. We’ll need to investigate further.

xxxx

Night fell upon the small hamlet, six houses and a medium size barn, less than a day’s travel from Mountain Pass, but none of that mattered as the houses burned and the cries of the people echoed in the night. The swarm of goblins set fire to the building and slaughtered the people and animals, all the while two figures watched over them.

The first was a tall man, wearing dirty, worn, brown leather armor save the tarnished metal chest plate with the mark of the wolf across it. His face hidden behind a black hood, only his ice-cold blue could be seen as they took in the sight around him. The second was a smaller, more ample frame, that of a woman in a black shroud, though her face was covered by a black cloth, but her amber eyes watched the flames consume the house while the wind blew through her blue hair. Her gaze was just as emotionless as his even as she saw a child being torn limb from limb in front of her.

“Bring the captives to the front!” It was a cold, deep voice that drew the goblins attention who sneered and nodded toward the male figure, he then turned toward his partner. “If nothing else, these brutes are good at what they do.”

“They’re monsters.” Her reply was as cold as ice, she let her gaze wander and suddenly her eyes went wide at the sight to the left of her.

The hobgoblin had stopped carrying the pig carcass to look at her, drool ran from his lips as he took in her form and continued to stare at her. She was shaken by the look in his eyes, which caught the attention of her partner. He raised up his left hand, and the red gem upon the ring on his middle finger began to glow. There was a sudden spark that surrounded the hobgoblin’s neck causing it to cry out in pain.

“Get back to work!”

The hobgoblin grunted as it angrily looked at the man, then resumed its work of loading up the cart with the animals. The female figure breathed a sigh of relief, when she felt a strong hand on her left shoulder, she looked up to see the male figure pull her close to him.

“I would never let him or any of these beasts hurt you.”

“Thank you…they should all be killed.”

“That is why Scar is here.”

They both heard the low growl of a creature behind them, they turned to see the wolfish creature approach them, snarling angrily. Its filthy brown fur covered with visible scars, its yellow eyes locked onto the human male as it drew closer, saliva dripping from its large fangs. This creature was much larger than a normal wolf, at first glance one might mistake the beast for a dire wolf but this creature looked like a diseased animal than a wolf. If the dire wolf could be considered a neutral prayer, neither good nor bad, then the warg was chaotic evil. As the warg drew closer, the human male moved his hand toward his right side and gripped the black leather whip by its handle. The warg saw this and stopped, it growled once more before lying on its stomach, still growling but much softer than before.

“Good boy Scar…know your place.”

The human male looked back at the ruined farmstead and saw the goblins bring forward seven people, each bound at the wrists and was forced to kneel before the two figures. The human male stepped forward and drew out his long jagged sword and laughed beneath his mask. The surviving people were terrified, wondering what fate awaited them, surely this human would not leave them in the hands of the goblins.

“You will not die tonight…at least not all of you. Rest assured I will not leave you to the goblin’s twisted plans.”

He took a couple steps toward the first three people, a husband, a wife and their son, he casually pointed his sword at each person before returning the blade to the husband.

“Tell me, who should I kill? You’re wife or your son?”

“Wha…what?”

“Decide now, who should I kill?”

The husband could not fathom such a decision, he could not choose either his wife or son, so he came to the only logical decision.

“Me…kill me!”

“I see.”

The human male swung his sword to his left decapitating the wife then swung once more toward his right and decapitated the son. The husband screamed as the heads hit the ground before the bodies slumped over, their blood splashing onto his clothing.

“That was not one of the choices.”

The goblins laughed and danced as the human male then approached the next family. The four of them trembled in fear, the husband, wife, son and daughter, tears streaming down their faces. Once again, the human male pointed his sword at the husband.

“Same question…who should I kill?”

“We’ve done nothing to you…why are you doing this?”

The human male was silent for a moment, his blue eyes watched them with the same gaze one would use when looking at a bug, until he finally replied.

“Because I can…now who shall I kill?”

If the husband made the same decision, he would lose everyone, he had to decide, lose one and save the others, it was a painful choice but he knew what he had to do.

“My son…kill him!”

“Father no!”

“What are you doing, that’s our child?”

“I’m so sorry, please forgive me!”

“Then the decision has been made.”

The human male raised his sword high, but then turned toward the younger daughter and brought it crashing down splitting her chest open. The family screamed as their daughter collapsed dead on the floor; the husband begging for forgiveness while his wife and son blamed him for what happened.

“Live with the decision you made.” The human male gave his sword a quick shake, to fling the blood off, before sheathing it. “When you are able to free yourselves, go to the Mountain Pass and tell them the Beast Master will lay claim to this region!”


	10. Chapter 10

“You really intend to come out here? With all that’s been happening, I’d recommend you best push through.”

The driver asked as they drew closer toward Mountain Pass, the overcast sky did little to help lighten the mood. He looked back to see the party of five and the large dire wolf sleeping in the back of the wagon, with a sigh he gave the reins a crack as they continued on toward the town ahead.

“We here for the goblins.”

The flat, emotionless voice caught the driver off guard who turned to see the man in the armor slowly turn his head toward him. The darkness within the armor almost gave off the appearance of a piece of living armor or an undead , but the driver told himself it was just a man in armor…just an adventurer.

“If you say so.”

Goblin Slayer returned his gaze to the others to see them with eyes open now, not really looking at any one person, just sitting solemnly as they thought about what was ahead of them. High Elf Archer looked out the back just as they passed one of the nearby farmsteads burnt to the ground. Dwarf Shaman looked out as well and frowned at the sight, near the ground he was able to make out the burnt shape of what must have been a human.

“What do you think Beardcutter?”

“The horde is larger than what we’ve been told, perhaps as big as the force that attacked the farm.”

“How can you tell Goblin Slayer?”

“These farmsteads are being targeted one at a time, and in each one there is at least one survivor who reports the things they saw. The quantity of goblins is reported as getting larger each time, this leader is growing bolder with each attack, when he comes to take the town, he’ll use his full force.”

“Do you really believe he will try to take this town Milord Goblin Slayer?”

“If he’s thinking like a goblin, then he’ll go after everything that town has.”

Looking back at the sight behind them, High Elf Archer sighed before reaching out to pet the top of Wolf’s head.

“We can’t let this go on any further.”

High Elf Archer looked towards Wolf then back to Goblin Slayer to see him nod his head towards her which put a light smile on her face.

“We won’t.”

Once inside the town, the party was surprised that the atmosphere of the town was rather lively for all that happened around them, all but Goblin Slayer. The people were out and about, laughing and smiling as they visited around the merchant stands, buying and trading as if it was just another ordinary day. High Elf Archer and Priestess were at a loss, from what they heard from the Sword Maiden, dozens of people were killed and countless goods and supplies were stolen, so why was no one concerned?

“What the hell is wrong with these people?”

“It’s like Water Town…the state of mind of these people is just like they were.”

“Only those who’ve seen a goblin attack can know the true evil they represent.”

Everyone looked to Goblin Slayer who was watching the comings and goings of the townspeople. With Wolf by his side, he started toward the largest building bearing the Guild mark on the tavern sign. The others followed behind them, the townspeople eyeballed them suspiciously as they took sight of the dire wolf and the strange armored man, but quickly returned to their own business, treating this group of adventurers with indifference.

“So Beardcutter, what are we after today?”

“I’m looking for a map of the area. I have a theory about the attacks and need to confirm it.”

“Is that all Orcbolg? No magic scrolls? No barrels of fish?”

“No…I was forbidden from using such tactics.”

“You’re not pouting are you?” High Elf Archer smiled to Priestess who returned the playful smile.

“No.”

“Then perhaps it would be best if we were to split up to do our errands?”

“What were you thinking Scaly?”

“Perhaps you Sir Mage and Lady Ranger could accompany me in gathering supplies for our journey. Milord Goblin Slayer and our Earth Mother Acolyte could inquire as to any other information on this quest or the doings in the town.”

“Sounds like a plan to me. Hey Orcbolg, are you needing any particular supplies?”

“Nothing at the moment.”

The group split up as they went about their errands, outside the Guild Hall, Goblin Slayer turned toward Priestess.

“Stay out here with Wolf. I shall return shortly.”

“Oh, yes sir.”

Goblin Slayer turned back toward the entrance and walked in with his bold stride, meanwhile Priestess sighed as she found a nearby bench to sit while she waited; Wolf followed beside her before sitting and watching the people pass by. Priestess puffed our her cheeks in annoyance, being told to wait outside like a child and his tone, it was all so infuriating, then she looked to Wolf and sighed in resignation.

“ _It makes sense to stay out here, I don’t think they’d welcome Wolf in there as they did back home. Still, he could have at least said “please” and “thank you”._ ”

Priestess looked around and finally noticed the man at the other end of the bench, a haunted look on his face as he starred down at the ground, in his hand was a leather pouch no doubt filled with some spirit based on the smell. Priestess grew nervous at the sight of this man and quickly looked back toward the entrance of the Guild Hall hopping to find Goblin Slayer returning.

“It’s my fault…”

The strained voice came from the man, Priestess turned back to see he take a deep swig from the pouch before mumbling once again.

“They’re all gone because of me…”

“Wh, who’s gone?”

The man turned toward her and once again Priestess grew more nervous at the hollow gaze in the man’s eyes, the only thing keeping her from running was the fact that Wolf had taken noticed and was right beside her.

“My family…I told him to kill my son…he forced me to choose…he killed my daughter instead…then my son and wife abandoned me…” The man took another swig before continuing. “This place is cursed…the goblins…the Beast Master…we’re all going to die.”

The man stood, swaying slightly before walking away in the opposite direction; Priestess felt relief that he had gone away but also felt sorrow for his situation.

“He’s one of the survivors of the most recent attack.”

This new voice caught her off guard, she turned to see an older gentleman with icy-blue eyes smiling back at her. The man’s hair was set in a ponytail and his beard covered his face, but was neat and trim, both had gone grey form his years of experience. Though old, his physique was like that of a younger man, someone who kept themselves fit and active. He was rather plain looking in his clothing, save the brown leather gloves upon his hands and the black whip by his right side. Beside this man was a rather well-endowed beauty with long bluish hair and amber eyes, she too was rather plain in her attire and in her hands was a basket of fruits and cheese. Priestess bowed and smiled at her, but saw a look of indifference on her face.

“My apologies if I startled you, I heard him speak out and saw the puzzled look on your face. I gather you’re not from around here?”

Before Priestess could answer Wolf suddenly started growling as he moved directly between Priestess and the man. The man motioned for the woman to move behind him as he reached for his whip, what was strange to the Priestess was the fact that neither was afraid, she remained stoic but the man’s grin suggested he was ready for a fight, almost welcoming it.

“Wolf no that’s enough, they’re not our enemies.” Priestess tiny hands wrapped around Wolf’s neck as best they could as she used all her strength to pull him back.

Wolf stopped his growling as he looked back at her then back at the humans, never taking his eyes off them he sat, still putting himself between them and Priestess. The man looked at the dire wolf then back to Priestess and smiled once again.

“Loyal companion you have there.”

“I’m sorry, he’s very protective of the party.”

“It’s the pack mentality, he looks out for you because you look out for him, very noble. Where are my manners though, this is my wife, and we are travelers on our way toward Water Town. Given the business with the goblins though, we’re waiting until its safe. I see by your vestments you are an acolyte of the Earth Mother yes? Have you come to try and restart the temple here?”

“Oh yes I am a follower of the Earth Mother, but I am not here on the temples behalf, my party is here to aid with the goblin situation.”

“Is that so?” The man casually observed the tag around her neck. “Steel I see, well at least they didn’t send out a bunch of porcelains.”

“Oh no, everyone else in my party if silver rank.”

This caught the man and woman’s attention at the sound of the rank, he smiled and eagerly pressed on.

“Silver you say…and I thought silver’s only went after larger prey like trolls or even dragons.”

“We go where we’re needed.”

This time it was the man and woman who were taken aback, this flat, mechanical voice came from a man in dirty leather armor who now stood beside Wolf and Priestess.

“Goblin Slayer, did you finish your purchase?”

“I did.”

Like Wolf, Goblin Slayer did not take his eyes off the man and woman, but to Priestess’ surprise this only made the man grin even wider.

“You must be the leader of the group, you have a commanding presence, and I can sense the confidence radiating off you, but it’s not over confidence. It’s a pleasure to meet someone with a little something between their ears, put ‘er there boy.”

The man held out his hand toward Goblin Slayer, Goblin Slayer reached out a gave this hand a firm grip and a couple of pumps before looking down at the glove, carefully noting it, and then looking back at this man who kept grinning at him. Goblin Slayer released the man’s hand and returned to his natural pose, looking toward the man and the woman.

“Goblin Slayer, not boy.”

“Of course.” The man then looked to the dire wolf and back to Goblin Slayer. “Interesting pet you have there.”

“He is not a pet, he is our party member.”

“Oh yes, I see his tag now…very interesting. Tell me, what kind of training did you have to put him through to get him to be so loyal?”

“I didn’t train him.”

The man frowned as if he didn’t hear the response, he heard it clear as day, what bothered him was he couldn’t comprehend it.

“What do you mean you didn’t train him?”

“We found him in a goblin cave and released the shackles holding him.”

“And he just followed you all that time then?”

“Yes.”

“I see.” The man had a puzzled look about his face as pondered what had been said to him. “Oh well it doesn’t matter, I’ve taken up enough of your time. Best of luck with the goblins.”

With a nod, he and his wife turned and began to walk away slowly getting themselves lost in the crowd. Wolf once again growled as he watched tensing his body as if he was ready to charge, when he felt a series of gentle pats along his head; he looked up to see Goblin Slayer slowly shaking his head.

“Not here Wolf.”

“Is everything alright Goblin Slayer?”

“When the others get back we’ll need to make for the furthest farm to the east of the Town, that will be their target tonight. The Guild already dispatched two groups of porcelains to the nearby farms, we’ll be there to provide support.”

“What of that man Goblin Slayer? Did you know him?”

“No. Imagine we’ll see them soon though.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s a reason Wolf acted the way he did, the smell coming off him.”

“What smell?”

“The smell of the other wolf.”

“The other wolf…then you mean that was, the Beast Master?”

Goblin Slayer was silent as he looked back at the crowd of people, trying to catch a glimpse of those two from earlier, but could not find any sign of them.

“We have to be ready for him…he too thinks like a goblin and that can be very dangerous.”

**Author’s Note: Sorry for the delay, as a math teacher I don’t get as much free time to write as I would like to. I plan for this section to go much further, Goblin Slayer/Wolf will engage Beast Master/Scar more than once before this quest is over, and I will provide some back story for these two antagonists. Thanks again for all the follows and favorites, I’m happy that my story is enjoyed by some many people…now if I can convince Kumo Kagyu to make this canon, then that would really be something. Hey a guy can dream can’t he?**


	11. Chapter 11

It was close to dinner time when Goblin Slayer’s party finally reached the farm, in a few short hours the sun would be down and the horde would be upon them. From the map Goblin Slayer had gotten he had seen a pattern in the attacks and figured that this Beast Master had been purposely targeting the farms furthest from the Mountain Pass and was steadily working his way in, drawing closer to the town.

“He has been scouting the town all this time, and no doubt has found the weakest areas to exploit.”

“Milord Goblin Slayer, if his plan is to take the town, why risk a chance of victory in revealing himself to us?”

“I doubt that was his intention, Wolf and I just happened to discover his identity.”

“He seemed more interested in the fact that silver ranked adventurers were involved now.”

“True enough, most higher ranks, save Beardcutter and ourselves, don’t get involved with goblins.”

“I’m still not sure how to feel about constantly fighting goblins?”

“If nothing else Lady Ranger, it has given us a better understanding of what the little devils are really like and how to be better prepared for them.”

“Again…not sure if I call that a good thing.”

“We’re here.”

The farmstead was a little bigger than Goblin Slayer’s own farm, three good size houses and the barn surrounded by a small fence barely a meter tall. The farmer workers were surprised to find the group enter through the gate, even more surprised to see the dire wolf with them. Two of the farmers reached for their tools, fortunately Priestess was quick to intervene.

“The dire wolf is a member of our party, we’ll make sure he doesn’t cause any problems. We’re here to aid with the goblins.”

“I thought they were here to help with that.”

The owner of the farm pointed to a trio of adventurers, each around the same age as Priestess. Their leader, a warrior with a short sword, stepped forward with weapon in hand and a look of despair bordering on panic. As the leader he tried to muster up the courage equal to his position, but to the rest it sounded rather weak.

“We…we were sent here to deal with the goblins should they come. You won’t be taking…our jobs from us.”

Goblin Slayer looked toward the warrior’s companions then back toward the farm, completely ignoring them after that first glance. Before the warrior could respond, the anger and humiliation of being looked over as if they were worthless, the man in the armor spoke, and his words were made more chilling by his emotionless tone.

“The Goblins will be here tonight.”

The warrior and his party, along with the people on the farm, were all at a loss. Each hoped that this evening would pass without incident, but now they were told they would die just like the others.

“You’re sure?”

“I am. We don’t have much time if we are to be ready for them.”

Goblin Slayer strode past them looking over the buildings and the fence, Wolf casually following beside him. In that instant, warrior remembered the reports of a man in leather armor and a large wolf by his side, he raised his sword and boldly challenged the man.

“You’re the Beast Master aren’t you? You’ll pay for your crimes in this region!”

Goblin Slayer paused, but only because he wished to place a small pebble along the ground near the fence. The warrior was completely shocked, as were his party members as they watched Goblin Slayer continue on his walk by the fence. Goblin Slayer’s party however was used to his actions, both Priestess and High Elf Archer sighed while Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest chuckled to themselves.

“Didn’t you hear me? Don’t look down on us because we’re porcelains!”

He then felt a heavy hand on his shoulder and turned to see the Dwarf Shaman smiling back at him.

“Give it up son, you’d have an easier time breaking a diamond with your bare hands than getting through that thick skull.”

“But this man…”

“If he really was the Beast Master, would he be trying to warn you? We were sent by the Sword Maiden to assist with the goblin problem.”

“I…um…”

“Now then, let’s follow his lead and get to work.”

The young warrior sighed in resignation and joined the others as they made the preparations for the goblins that evening. The young warrior introduced the rest of his party members, a male half-elf archer and a female mage; all three were members of the local guild and like many other beginner groups were sent out to deal with Beast Master and his goblins. Every group had been wiped out, but higher ranks still refused to take on such a menial task.

“So that’s the Goblin Slayer, a silver rank…he doesn’t quite match up with the ballad we’ve heard.”

“I know the feeling, the moment I met Orcbolg I was sure we had found the wrong person.”

“Orcbolg?”

“It the Elvish name for Goblin Slayer.” Priestess smiled as she conversed with the others around her age.

Goblin Slayer and Wolf finally finished their tour of the farm and now he was ready to share his plan. For the new adventurers and farmers, everything he called for was unusual, but for his party members it was just work as usual.

xxxx

The massive warg slept, though its ears could always hear the goblins chattering away, it had been far too long since it was allowed to hunt and devour the tiny creatures. Suddenly its ears picked up the new footsteps entering into the chamber, it looked up to see the two humans enter. It quietly growled as it looked toward the man in the armor, but would not attack so long as he had the terrible whip by his side. The man, this Beast Master, looked toward the warg and smirked as he gave the whip by his side a few pats.

“ _You keep trying, but until that day I am alpha_.”

The Beast Master finished affixing the black hood over his head and made one final check of his equipment. His bull whip, his sword, ring on his hand and gave the pouch on his side a couple pats, smiling as he reaffirmed the objects he would be bringing with him.

“I’m surprised you’re bringing those. You never had need of them before.”

He turned to see his wife now changed into her black shroud and cloth mask to hide her face.

“This one will be interesting, he’ll be ready for me, so I need to be ready for him. Three should be more than enough”

“Do you think they know who we are?”

“Oh yes, that boy’s mangy cur easily picked up on Scar’s scent. The young one probably didn’t pick up on it, but that boy did.”

“Speaking of which…did you have to be so friendly with her?”

Beast Master smirked, realizing that she was jealous, he walked toward her staring into her bright amber eyes before pulling her close and embracing her tightly. At first surprised, she easily melted into his arms and returned the embrace with a warm smile beneath her mask.

“ _It feels just as good as when he first found me._ ”

“You’re the only one for me, no need to be jealous.”

“That’s all I needed to hear, my apology for being foolish.”

“None apology needed, but now it’s time to strike.”

“Will you use your full force?”

“No, I want to test him first, see what’s going through his mind. But know I’ll finish him like those other adventurers…they need to know their place.”

Beast Master walked forward until he reached the edge and looked over the balcony to see the dozens of goblins down below. They looked up and screeched with weapons raised as they awaited their master’s orders. Beast Master raised up his left hand, the jewel on his ring glowing, then pointed forward before shouting his orders.

“Forward! You shall bathe in the blood of our enemies this night!”

xxxx

A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, briefly illuminating all around the area, before being followed by the loud thunder clap. Another bolt of lightning flashed, Goblin Slayer and Wolf stood at the front of the group close to the entrance to the farm staring out into the darkness. Behind them were three members of his own party, Priestess, Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest with them were two of the rookies Young Warrior and Rookie Mage. Both young ones were shaking, this would be there first real combat mission and even though goblins were small and weak, all the stories they heard up to now filled them with unease.

“Are you sure they’ll come?”

“They’ll be here soon. When they start shooting their arrows, stay behind the barrier.”

“Yes sir.”

Both rookies tightened their grips around their weapons and tried to steady their breathing, they looked around to see the others tense but remained calm as they awaited the goblins. They were especially surprised to see the Priestess, who had to be around their age, calmly praying to the Earth Mother for their safety. She looked toward them and saw the same face she had so many times, she knew she had to say something to help with the situation.

“It’s alright to be afraid, even now I too am afraid, have faith in those around you.”

The young rookies were surprised by what she said, even as a steel ranked adventurer she admitted to being afraid, and as they looked back at the others they could see the reassuring smiles and nods from the other two. The two smiled, it was weak, but they felt better knowing that these people were fighting beside them, and one look to see Goblin Slayer and Wolf standing ready for battle before them only added to their reassurance. Up on the rooftop were High Elf Archer and Half-Elf Archer watching the country side ahead of them and the groups conversing below. Like his comrades, he too was nervous, all he could do was put his faith in those around him and Goblin Slayer’s plan.

“I don’t mind telling you, I’m nervous too.”

“I’d be surprised if you weren’t. Just remember, we take out as many as we can from above, with the buckets of water we douse any fires before it consumes these houses. The front line warriors will push forward while the spell casters bring up support. Keep a level head, and let’s see this through to the end.”

“Yes ma’am.”

High Elf Archer smiled, but that soon changed as she heard the cries of the goblins, despite the howling of the wind and the constant thunder rolling on, she could hear them clear as day. She looked out into the darkness and was able to make out multiple shapes marching forward.

“Get ready, here they come!”

Another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, and in that instant all were able to see a force made up of dozens of goblins marching towards them, at least ten hobgoblins bringing up the rear and the front were two humans and a large wolf. In that moment, whatever courage the rookies had was gone, their instincts were telling them to run, but how far could they get. Lizard Priest summon forth his Dragon-Tooth Warrior and armed it and himself with a tooth blade; both warriors stepped forward to stand on the other side of Wolf.

“There’s too many of them!” Rookie Mage could feel a warm sensation running down her leg as the force drew closer.

The Young Warrior felt the same fear and took a step back, but stopped himself when he realized the Goblin Slayer was not moving. The man, this human had no magic abilities, just his sword and shield, yet he was standing his ground before this force.

“We’ll hold them here while you run.”

There was no anger in his voice, he was not being condescending to them in anyway. Young Warrior and Rookie Mage looked on with wide eyes as the rest of the party stood ready to do battle with this small army. He suddenly felt great shame for his cowardice, he stepped forward and took his place beside Goblin Slayer with sword raised.

“What kind of adventurer would abandon his allies in battle? I’ll stand with you all…if you’ll have me.”

“Good answer.”

“Alright you two, we can’t let them put us to shame. Time to show these little devils what spell casters can do.”

Priestess and Rookie Mage both smiled and followed behind Dwarf Shaman and readied themselves for the coming attack. A few meters away from the farm the army stopped, Beast Master and Fallen Magician stood before their minions and looked out at the adventurers before them. A smile formed beneath Beast Master’s hood as he saw the boy from earlier, this Goblin Slayer standing in the front.

“Good, I figured you’d be on the front lines leading.” He then looked toward the lead goblin and formed his left hand into a fist as the red jewel on his ring began to glow. “First squad, advance!”

Some thirty goblins howled with anger as they charged forward with weapons raised. In a few seconds they’d reach the adventurers, but a sudden volley of arrows came raining down from the rooftops above. Both archers fired away, easily taking out the goblins, reducing their numbers by at least ten. The others pushed forward, enraged by the loss of their brothers and easily leapt over the fence, but the moment they touched down, the ground gave way to a deep pit lined with spikes, several of the goblins fell in screaming in pain and the stake pierced their bodies and made even worse as other goblins fell on top of them. The few goblins who had avoided the pits looked back with wide eyes, confused at the sight, but that moment of distraction was all that was needed for the warriors. The warriors and Wolf charged forward and made short work of the goblins; Goblin Slayer looked over the carnage before turning back toward the goblin army.

“Th, that was easy.” Young Warrior panted heavily yet happily as he looked at the goblins he killed then back to Goblin Slayer.

“He’s testing us, be ready for the next wave.”

“Yes sir.”

Beast Master’s eyes were wide with delight, the adventurer knew what he was doing, he prepared for the goblins tactics down to the very last detail.

“Magnificent. Normally that many would have been enough to take this farmstead, yet here the force has been completely wiped out.”

He suddenly drew out his sword and cut the arrow that would have hit him and Fallen Magician. He looked up to see the female elf actually surprised by how fast he was able to deflect both arrows.

“Not bad, if they’re all like this…then this will be fun!”

“You’re enjoying yourself then?”

“Indeed, a shame that I have to kill them, but these adventurers need to pay for their crimes.” He raised his left hand once again, the jewel still glowing then in a downward motion pointed toward the group. “Attack!”

The full goblin force charged forward, goblins archers returning the own volley of arrows, a mixture of poison and flame arrows flying through the air. As if on cue, Priestess used Protection to create a barrier to protect herself and those around her. High Elf Archer and Half Elf Archer fired arrows when they were able to, they rolled to the right to dodge the poisoned arrows and the moment the flaming arrows hit, they quickly removed them and threw water on the spot. Both Dwarf Shaman and Rookie Mage used their spells, Stone Blast and Firebolt respectively, to wipe out the goblins who drew closer. Young Warrior continued to battle the smaller goblins while the others challenged the Hobs.

Beast Master walked forward with a bold stride, sword in his left hand and whip in his right as he drew closer to the battlefield, close behind were Scar and Fallen Magician. Fallen Magician followed behind, drawing out her black magic rod adorned with a brilliant green jewel and pointed it at the protection barrier. Scar growled as he picked up the scent of the dire wolf, he looked around and saw his opponent devouring the innards of a fallen goblin.

“Can’t let them have all the fun. Love, destroy that pathetic barrier then see about putting a performance for them. Scar…the young boy…tear his throat out.”

Scar growled loudly as he charged forward pushing past the goblins to make for Young Warrior. Fallen Magician began to chant and the jewel on her magic rod began to glow, as she finished the last of her incantation, a bolt of white flew forward tearing through the goblins before her and eventually the barrier. There was a bright blast and in that instant the barrier was shattered sending all around it to the ground. The moment he saw the blast coming toward them, Dwarf Shaman instantly recognized he spell she was casting.

“The disintegration spell!”

“Very observant. Now, shall we continue?”

With a wave of her and multiple copies appeared around them, each pointing their rods at the groups and chanting the firebolt spell. Dwarf Shaman pulled both Priestess and Rookie Mage towards him and quickly cast Spirit Wall just as the blasts flew forward, only one was the real one of course, but he didn’t have the luxury to sit there and figure out which one was which. The warriors quickly picked themselves up to continue the fight while the two archers covered them. Young Warrior picked up his sword, but suddenly heard a growl, he turned in time to be tackled by the large brown wolf. The wolf, no the warg, bit down on the sword and growled as it pushed forward, Young Warrior screamed as he struggled to keep the warg from moving any closer until the warg was struck by a large black object. Young Warrior looked to his side to see the warg and the dire wolf snarling and snapping at each other. He then looked up to see a goblin with spear ready to stab him, or rather it was until a blade pierced its chest from behind. The dead goblin was pushed aside, and behind was Goblin Slayer with left hand extended.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes…thank you.” Young Warrior took the steady hand and was helped back to his feet.

“We need to finish this fight.”

Wolf and Scar continued to snarl at one another until they charged forward, both rearing up and snapping at each other with such ferocity that the goblins quickly ran away. The wolves broke apart and circled each other once again, until Scar charged forward with the intention of going for Wolf’s throat. Wolf however moved back just as the jaws snapped shut and then bit into Scar hide shaking its head from side to side. Scar yelped then steadied himself and bit into Wolf’s left forepaw, constantly chewing over and over. Neither wolf relented, blood running from their wounds, until Wolf finally flung the warg to the ground. Wolf limped forward, growling as he readied to attack Scar, when it felt a sharp biting sting pain across its right side.

“Damn wolf, know your place at my feet.”

Beast Master stepped between Wolf and Scar and cracked the whip along the floor; the strike from his whip left a long ugly gash along Wolf side. Wolf growled as he limped forward once again, and just as before Beast Master cracked the whip along the injured side once again, knocking Wolf to the ground with a yelp. Wolf looked up to see this human strike once again, but this time a new object stood before Wolf. The whip wrapped around Goblin Slayer’s left arm, the leather biting into his flesh causing the blood to drip to the ground. Beast Master undid the whip and recoiled it as he placed it back upon his belt, the smile beneath his head widen with each passing moment.

“Nicely done boy.”

“Get away from Wolf.”

“I have to say, I’ve been looking forward to this.” Beast Master removed his hood, tossing it to the side as he focused on Goblin Slayer. “You should have killed me the moment you met me.”

“Now that I have confirmed you as the leader of this horde I will.”

Goblin Slayer rushed forward and both blades struck, Beast Master followed with his own attack but Goblin Slayer pushed this back with his shield. The two continued to trade blows, Beast Master punching Goblin Sayer across the helmet every chance he got close. Goblin Slayer pushed back with his shield and slashed his sword across Beast Master’s left leg, the wound was superficial, but surprisingly it brought out a big laugh from Beast Master.

“Good. That’s the way, fight using any and all means necessary to win. Whoever trained you taught you well, but you can still go further. Become my student, and I’ll push your teachings to their limit.”

“I am Goblin Slayer…I slay goblins. If you will use them to kill others, then I will slay you as well.”

Beast Master frowned as he heard the comment, this one was just like any other adventurer. Only interested in their own selfish desires, not looking at the bigger picture, just as one trains a dog to obey its master, he would force them to obey as well.

“I hoped for better from you boy…but it’s adventurers like you, people so damn stubborn, that are the reason I exist. If you are not willing to help me, then you are an obstacle in my path.”

He reached into his side pouch on his right side and drew out a small clay sphere with a short wick at the top. Holding the sphere in right hand, he gave his fingers a snap and the fuse was lit, he tossed the sphere forward, Goblin Slayer immediately knew what it was and quickly put himself between Wolf and the sphere raising the shield on his left arm. With a bright flash and a thunderous bang, the sphere exploded with enough force to knock both Goblin Slayer and Wolf back a couple meters. The others immediately heard this and saw as Beast Master drew out another clay sphere and tossed it forward, the rest of the party ran and like Goblin Slayer were thrown to the ground from the blast.

“That’s enough then.” Beast Master raised his left hand, the jewel on his ring glowing once again as he gave his orders. “All forces pull back.”

The surviving goblins and hobs looked toward him questioningly, but at the sight of the jewel followed the instructions and turned around marching back into the darkness. Scar pushed himself up and growled as it walked past the downed Goblin Slayer and Wolf before joining Beast Master and Fallen Magician. High Elf Archer and Half-Elf jumped down from the rooftop to help their fallen friends, fortunately everyone was still alive. Goblin Slayer struggled to push himself up, his left arm in such pain he could not use it, instead he used his right arm to push himself up to his knees. He looked to his right to see Wolf was okay, though still injured from strikes the whip dealt earlier. Goblin Slayer was finally back on his feet and turned toward Beast Master and the others just as the rain finally started to fall upon them.

“I give you this one chance boy, leave this place. This is as far as my mercy goes, the next encounter will cost you more than just your life.”

“I will not leave until the goblins are dealt with.”

“My offer still stands, your friends are welcome to join as well, assuming you can come to your senses.” Beast Master smiled but soon that smile turned to a frown as he looked back at the party of injured warriors. “You can’t hope to stop me, this force was not my full army, if you get in the way of my quest for justice, I will have no qualms about killing any of you.”

Beast Master and his comrades turned and followed behind the remnants of the goblin army. The others were left there, though the farm and its people were saved, it was a hollow victory for Goblin Slayer and the others. Wolf slowly walked up toward Goblin Slayer and put its head under his right hand where Goblin Slayer gave him a few gentle pets.

“This will not stand.”


	12. Chapter 12

“That should about do it.”

Back in Mountain Pass, the party started the recovery process, Priestess had used Heal the night before to tend to the two large gashes Wolf received from Beast Master’s whip, now she finished changing the wraps she tied around Wolf’s leg. Due to Wolf’s large size and general appearance, Goblin Slayer was told he would have to keep the dire wolf in the stables, far from the horses.

“I’ll be back with some food for you in a bit Wolf, you rest now.”

Wolf looked toward the bandages around its leg before laying its heads down on the soft straw bed made for him, though the pain was gone the exhaustion still remained. Priestess gently stroked his head as she watched him quietly snoring, still surprised that in such a short amount of time she had come to trust this massive wolf. She then collected her supplies and proceeded to join her comrades inside the inn, it was decided to split two rooms, one for the men and the other for the women, at the moment though, everyone was meeting in the men’s room.

“He’s sleeping now.”

“Good.”

“So how many goblins was that last night then Beardcutter?”

“Seventy-Eight…though there were still survivors.”

“Those two…the man and woman, they’re truly dangerous Orcbolg.” High Elf Archer frowned as she carefully inspected her bow and arrows.

“I was shocked that woman knew such spells, disintegration and the ability to create those illusions of oneself, those are skills of one who is equal to a gold rank. What was even more surprising was that man, I did not take him for a magic user, those explosions and creating the spark from his fingertips, I have never seen anything such as that.”

“It wasn’t magic.”

Everyone looked toward Goblin Slayer who, still keeping his helmet on, had completely removed his armor plates and chainmail to check the dents and links. Lizard Priests suddenly noticed that Goblin Slayer would occasionally pause what he was doing with his left arm, as he slowly clenched and released his fist before returning to his work.

“Milord Goblin Slayer, are you…”

“That was a “grenado”.”

“ “Gra-na-do”…like a pomegranate? Is that what you mean Goblin Slayer sir?”

“Not quite. The granado is as small explosive made using a clay sphere and filled with a combination of brimstone, saltpeter and charcoal, a wick of desired length is inserted to ignite the contents. The miners I spoke with said when digging, if the rock was too hard for picks, they would use these explosives to weaken the rock for them to continue.”

“Well that explains the explosions, but what about the spark Beardcutter?”

“I noticed it when I shook his hand yesterday, the fingertips of his gloves are purposely left rough, this roughness causes friction as he snaps his fingers to ignite the wicks.”

“Orcbolg please tell me that you don’t have any of these “grenados” with you.”

“No, they are very dangerous, if the wick is too short you run the risk of destroying yourself. Like the flour, it is not a very wise tool to use in a cave when goblin slaying, especially for one who is not experienced with it. This man however, knows how to use them effectively.”

“Orcbolg, I think it goes without saying, but those things are banned from quests too! How can you humans think up such destructive things?”

“Imagination is a weapon too.”

“And those without it, are doomed to fail, isn’t that correct Goblin Slayer sir?”

“Yes.”

Lizard Priest once again noticed Goblin Slayer struggle as he began putting his metal armor and chainmail over his leather armor. He quietly motioned for Dwarf Shaman to come over, so he could speak with him. He whispered as quietly as possible, but High Elf Archer’s ears moved as she heard the conversation.

“Sir Mage, there is something I need to consult Milord Goblin Slayer about, but it is a private matter?”

“Not nice keeping secrets Scaly, but I’ll get the others out.” Dwarf Shaman smiled then gave his stomach a few good pats. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m still beat from that little battle. I’m going to get some rest before things get too hairy again, but first something to eat. Who’s with me?”

“Oh, well I could go for some food myself, thank you.” Priestess smiled and bowed as she stood to join Dwarf Shaman.

“I’m going to get some rest first, I’ll be down in a bit.” High Elf Archer stretched her arms up high as she gave a big yawn.

“I shall get some rest here too before I go down for some cheese.”

“I’m not hungry at the moment.”

Dwarf Shaman, Priestess and High Elf Archer left the room, each moving to their desired destination, while Lizard Priest frowned as he looked to Goblin Slayer who was now checking his equipment.

“Now that the others have gone, our companion Wolf was not the only one injured last night was he?”

“My left arm…there is discoloration and bruising, and a slight to moderate pain depending on how I move it.” Goblin Slayer grunted as he slowly rotated it to the left and right.

“Milord Goblin Slayer, that sounds like a break in the bone! I will tend to it immediately. Why did you keep this from us?”

“Wolf’s injuries required immediate attention as did those rookies who fought with us. I have already wrapped it fairly tight and taken a healing potion. You and the Priestess had used up your spells after that battle, and I don’t want you wasting any of your spells before tonight.”

“Tonight, you don’t mean…”

“He’ll be coming here.”

“Surely we can spare one spell?”

“I don’t know what tonight will bring. I want to be prepared. Know that I don’t intend to fight foolishly…sorry to make you worry.”

Lizard Priest was stunned by his casual remarks, but soon sighed and smiled as he shook his head before looking back at Goblin Slayer.

“The moment this battle is concluded, I am going to see to that arm. I will keep this from the others as not to worry them.”

“Thanks. I will buy some cheese later.”

Lizard Priest happily rejoiced, but in the next room, High Elf Archer angrily pounded the bottom of her fist along the floor. She sat with her back against the wall, carefully listening to what was being said, and was none too pleased to hear about Goblin Slayer’s injury.

“That idiot, always making me worry.”

High Elf Archer fumed as she stormed out of the room, making her way down towards the dining hall to join the others. Like Lizard Priest, she too planned on keeping this bit of information from Priestess, the last thing she wanted to do was worry her with a potential battle on the horizon, but she would be damn sure to let Goblin Slayer know what she thought of his attitude once this quest was over. She quickly found her party members and sat down with a loud thump before snatching up a piece of bread and tearing away a piece.

“Is something the matter?”

“Nothing, just hungry!”

Lizard Priest soon joined them and had a weary look about his face as High Elf Archer glared at him. He bowed his head and reached for a piece of cheese only to have it taken away by High Elf Archer rather quickly. High Elf Archer gobbled down the cheese slice all the while still staring at Lizard Priest, who could only sigh in defeat as he bowed his head once more. Priestess looked at them curiously, wondering if something happened while they had stepped out, while Dwarf Shaman started to piece together what had transpired while they were eating.

“We’d better start eating before she devours everything.”

“I hope it would not be rude of me to ask to join you?”

The party turned to the right to see a woman with a black gown with long bluish hair and amber eyes. The Fallen Magician casually took a seat at the front of the table, while the others instantly tensed up, immediately reaching for their weapons but remembering they were left in the rooms, she however did not forget hers.

“Now just a moment.” Fallen Magician pointed her magic rod at the group from beneath the table jewel beginning to glow. “I’m only here to talk, let’s be civil now.”

“After the stunt you pulled last night, you have lot of nerve to show up here!” Dwarf Shaman angrily tightened his fists before slamming them on the table.

“What did I say Dwarf…we’re going to be calm and talk. I don’t want needlessly destroy you or anyone else.”

“Then what is it you want to talk about?” High Elf Archer fumed as she looked at the woman before her who remained so calm with what she and her partner had done over the last month.

“He has respect for you and your leader, that in itself is amazing since he has no respect for any adventurer, regardless of their rank.”

“Why would that be of any interest? Why does he not look down on Milord Goblin Slayer?”

“Because he is one who hunts the little devils, though he hunts for them for a different reason unlike my love. You all know firsthand how terrible those creatures can truly be, but still no one takes them seriously.”

“But you do.”

“And so does he? Think carefully, why would he act the way he does if something traumatic had not happened to him? I am not only talking about my love.”

The party paused at the comment, its true they never really had stopped to ask Goblin Slayer what had transpired in his past to shape him into the being he was. They all had their guesses, perhaps revolving around his sister given how he spoke of her in a past tense, but they did not wat to be rude and pry since he himself had never pried into their affairs.

“I hate those things myself.” Fallen Magician sighed closing her eyes as if to stop herself from reliving the painful memory, but it needed to be said. “Fifteen years ago, my party was ambushed by goblins, our archer was killed and I was captured…our leader dropped his weapon and ran for the exit.”

“Your party member abandoned you?” Priestess was suddenly reminded of her own failure on her first quest.

“Yes. I endured a day of violation until he came…Beast Master. He wasn’t an adventurer, just one who would not let the goblins have their way. He slew the goblins then checked on me, embracing me as he assured me that everything would be alright.” A slight blush ran across her face to which she turned her head and cleared her throat before turning back to the party members. “He saved me, and I vowed to help him in any way possible.”

“This doesn’t make any sense, why use goblins then if you know they’re monsters?” High Elf Archer could not fathom any reason for Fallen Magicians’s participation in these terrible events.

“Goblins are evil, but humanity is worse. Our superiors don’t tell us what goblins are really like, they throw inexperienced children into situations that they are unprepared for and when they fail, they just send more people regardless of the loss of life. No veteran takes on these tasks, I don’t see Heroes volunteering to deal with lesser creatures attacking innocent people.”

There was silence, it was hard to debate such claims, they themselves had seen this the moment Goblin Slayer had asked for assistance with the Goblin Lord. In Water Town, and even here in Mountain Pass, they had heard and seen how others were unwilling to deal with such “trivial” matters.

“We will show these people what goblins are truly capable of, perhaps when entire town lies in ruins, maybe then things will change.” Fallen Magician stood, tucked her magic rod away and bowed to the party members, a gentle smile across her face. “I was happy to meet people like you who are willing to deal with the goblins, people who aren’t just trying to make a name for themselves. I urge you to leave, I would prefer you join us, but if that is not the case then please leave.”

Just as she was walking away, a small voice called out to her, before the others could voice their protests, Priestess spoke up.

“I don’t agree with your reasoning, and it is because of it that we are not leaving. I beg you to not go through with this!”

Fallen Magician paused for a moment, eyes from the tavern patrons were upon them, it was a short response before she continued on her way out the door.

“The die have already been cast, all we can do is play out our parts.”

Goblin Slayer’s party immediately rushed back to the room to let him known about Fallen Magician’s appearance, but found the room empty. Goblin Slayer left almost immediately after Lizard Priest had gone down to eat something, but went out the back entrance to make his rounds around the town. He constantly looked toward every storm drain and made mental notes of the walls around the town.

“Do you really believe that you’ll be able to find all the weak spots before the next attack?”

Goblin Slayer turned to see Beast Master about with a smile on his face as he leaned against a nearby wall. He walked toward Goblin Slayer, not able to see what kind of face he was making under his helmet, but imagined that he had an indifferent expression that matched his flat, emotionless tone.

“How’s your injuries?”

“Fine. It won’t affect my skills in battle.”

“That’s exactly what I expected you to say. Come on, I’ll buy you a drink.”

Goblin Slayer was silent as he followed Beast Master toward the nearest tavern, both took a seat away from the others where they could take in private. Once their ales were delivered, Beast Master slowly drank his ale while he watched Goblin Slayer down his drink through his visor rather unceremoniously. Beast Master laughed as he finished his drink and motioned for the bar-maid to bring them both anther round.

“I take it you keep your helmet on at all times so that you won’t be knocked out?”

“Correct.”

“That’s what I like about you, you really are a clever one.”

“My master used to say I had no brains.”

“I’m sure it was to keep you from being overconfident. There’s a thinking man under that armor, even if no one else sees it. It’s because of that, that you also worry me. I’ve made my preparations, but here comes one who thinks like I do…do you know that last night was the first and only time my army was so badly beaten?”

“It failed because they were goblins. They don’t expect to be ambushed or trapped.”

“But you do. I’m going to succeed, no matter how prepared you are, your group can’t stop me alone.”

“Who says I will be alone?”

“Look around you, those rookies you helped told others about the size of the force that attacked them. There was the initial shock, but before you knew it, everyone was back to their old selves as if nothing had been said. No one cares about inferior monsters…this town has always been like this.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was born and raised in these parts. Do you know, that the first farmstead I razed to the ground was originally where I lived with my wife and child? As if I would let those bastards have what I built all those years ago.”

“You’re wife and child…was it goblins?”

“Very perceptive. I am not the Beast Master for nothing. Twenty years ago, I made a decent living training animals and teaching the farmers around here. One day I’m called away to help a neighboring village, and when I came back, my family was gone…nothing but goblin footprints around.”

“Did you not pursue them?”

“I did, but I first went toward the other farmers for help…they were too afraid and said go hire an adventurer. Hire an adventurer…my family had been taken captive and they said go pay someone to help you. I then rushed to the Guild to implore anyone and everyone for help, all my help training the animals at the Guild was met with excuses. “Goblin’s aren’t worth much.” “How much will you pay us?” “Get some rookies to go after them”. “

Goblin Slayer was silent as he heard all this, the bar maid dropped off their drinks and this time it was Beast Master who down his drink in one gulp before continuing.

“I grew angry and punched one of the adventurers. I was subdued by others, beaten and thrown in prison for the night…I was told it would hopefully help me come to my senses. The next morning when I was released, they told me I could submit the request, but due to my actions they would have to ask for a higher fee.”

“I assume you did not pay.”

“Of course not. I went after them myself, you don’t get to be one who can tame and dominate animals if you don’t know how to track them down. I found them and took my time killing them. My wife was already dead and my child…my daughter had been savaged by those monsters, made their plaything, barely clinging to life. The only words she could say was “Kill me.” Beast Master was silent for a moment, a tear running down the left side of his face before he wiped his eyes. “I put her out of her misery…she died in my arms.”

“How old was she?”

“She was nineteen…she should have been married by then, but said she was waiting for the right one.” Beast Master looked toward Goblin Slayer the sadness on his face now changed to anger. “For the longest time I hated those creatures, I spent a couple years hunting them down. Then I came to realize that even though the goblins were to blame, it was people who were truly at fault.”

“It was the goblins was it not?”

“Yes, but anyone of those people could have come to help their friend, it should not have been a requirement to pay for help. Most adventurers won’t get involved if the word “goblins” is thrown around, their weak and stupid creatures, there’s no fun. People are selfish and cruel, they really are no different than goblins. So what better way to make this town pay than by having the very thing they take for granted slaughter them.”

“What of the innocents?”

“There are no innocents boy, any one of them could have stepped up to help. Before you jump to conclusions, I’m not just talking about my problems, I’m talking about the attacks that have been happening this past month. What about you boy, you’ve heard my tale of woes, what drives you?”

“My sister and village. I witnessed everything from start to end, hiding away as I was told.”

“No one came to help you during the attack then?”

“No.”

“Then you understand what I’m saying yes?”

“No. I blame the goblins…and myself. My inactions cost me my sister. I could have attacked…we could have fled…instead I did nothing. So no, I don’t understand what you’re thinking. Know that I will slay all the goblins.”

Beast Master was stunned, he hoped that this little talk would have help convince Goblin Slayer to join his cause, but this boy could not see the truth in what was being said. He grew angry, but remained calm as not to draw attention to them. Beast Master saw his younger self in this man and whether or not Goblin Slayer thought the same was irrelevant.

“You’re fighting a losing battle boy…surely you know you can’t kill every goblin?”

“Only when I’m dead will I know that I’ve failed.”

“So be it. It seems that I was wrong to think of you as a potential ally…perhaps even an heir I could pass on my techniques to. No matter what you do in the next few hours, I will be one step ahead of you. Leave this place, for the next time we meet I will kill you and those close to you.”

Beast Master left some silver coins on the table and quickly departed, Goblin Slayer on the other hand sat there for a few moments as he thought about was coming this evening. He finally stood and decided to take the next couple hours to examine the city, he would not be able to do a thorough examination but he had a rough idea of what he could work with. Finally he returned to the inn and was met by the concerned party members who relayed their message about their meeting with Fallen Magician.

“I too had a chance to meet with the Beast Master. He’s coming tonight, I have no clue how large a force he is bringing, but it must be big enough if he intends to lay waste to the entire town.”

“Before we go into any strategizing, we got a summons to meet with the Guild Manager and Mayor.” High Elf Archer held out a small parchment for Goblin Slayer to read.

“Good, I was hoping it would arrive here.”

“Wait what do mean Goblin Slayer sir?”

“I made preparations before we left Water Town to hopefully aid in this battle. After we meet with the Guild Manager, I’ll better know what are plan of attack will be.”

“Then what are we waiting for Beardcutter? Let’s get moving!”


	13. Chapter 13

“Impossible…an army of goblins!”

“I don’t care if it goblins on wolves or a flight of dragons, I refuse to take orders from you!”

The cries of concern and outrage came from the Mayor and Guild Manager. The Mayor was a middle aged man with a shiny, bald head and round belly that shook over time he spoke. His counterpart, Guild Manager, was also middle-aged, but managed to not only keep an acceptable weight, but also kept the black hair on his head as well as a shaggy beard on his face.

“If we are to be ready for them, I’ll need the assistance of the Guild’s adventurers and the military force station in this town.”

In his hand the Mayor held the parchment that bore the insignia of the sword and scales, the note itself came from the Sword Maiden. In her note, she explained that a silver-ranked adventurer and his party were there to help with the Beast Master and all individuals were to follow his directions down to the letter. Naturally both men were a bit upset to be told they would be taking orders from a boy half their age, regardless of his ranking.

“Its goblins, why should we be concerned, they’re weak and stupid.” Guild Manager, a former adventurer himself, shook his head at the foolish idea of being afraid of goblins.

“Those are the words Beast Master said you would say.”

The two men were surprised to hear he had actually met the Beast Master in this town. This mysterious assailant and his partner had always been seen with their faces covered, so no one could identify them, yet here was a person who casually spoke with him earlier.

“Is he still here? Can you lead our adventurers to him?”

“I doubt he’d still be here or this woman of his.” Dwarf Shaman shook his head and let out a sigh. “They only seemed interested in explaining that they would attack tonight.”

“But why warn us?” The Mayor was confused by this, could these people be in league with this Beast Master.

“He’s probably just very overconfident.” Elf Archer knew if Orcbolg answered he’s say something that would cast a negative light upon them. “In essence, he’s saying we can’t stop him.”

“You just said it, we can’t stop him so why bother?” Guild Manager sneered at the group, they may be mostly silver ranked, but that didn’t mean he had to indulge their fantasy of a goblin problem.

Both High Elf Archer and Dwarf Shaman growled in frustration, Guild Manager was pompous as he threw his authority around while Mayor was indecisive. Lizard Priest and Priestess were equally frustrated in that fact they had few precious hours to prepare and it seemed like neither would provide any support. Goblin Slayer’s party looked toward the silent leader to see what he would say or do, and as if on cue he turned and began to walk back toward the door much to the surprise of the Mayor and the Guild Manager.

“Goblin Slayer, where are you going?”

“This meeting isn’t finished yet!”

“I’m going to prepare for his attack tonight, do as you wish.”

“I already said I don’t plan on telling my adventurers what to do just because you have some pull with Sword Maiden.”

Goblin Slayer turned to face them once again, both men felt intimidated as they starred back at the man in armor, this mysterious adventurer.

“None of that matters to me, I’m here to slay the goblins. Know that if you decided to do nothing, tonight’s deaths will be on your hands.”

Goblin Slayer turned back once again to head for the door, but this time he was joined by his comrades, smiles on their faces as they joined behind their odd leader. Once they left, both men were speechless, never before had they encountered an adventurer like him, and had only one decision left to them.

“Guild Master…offer a bounty on the goblins. A gold coin for each goblin they kill, I’ll dig into the treasury and find you the money. My soldiers will be divided and split up around the town to do their patrols. If he’s wrong we only waste time and manpower, if he’s right we may have saved precious lives.”

“Yes sir.”

xxxx

Outside the forgotten Earth Mother Temple, Beast Master and Fallen Magician stood before their amassed army of goblins and hobs, over 500 strong. The goblins stood ready with weapons in hand, his 50 plus hobs would provide the muscle needed, and nearby was Scar who growled and snapped at the 100 wolves and their riders to follow their alpha’s direction.

“Are you ready my love?”

Beast Master turned back toward the town, it was only a few kilometers away from the mountain side and yet his destiny never seemed so far away before. He spent more than ten years waiting for this very moment and yet there was still a sense of doubt within him.

“ _That boy…why did I meet him now? Even with all this, I am still worried._ ”

“My love?”

“I’ve given them a month to prepare, to provide some kind of response to the goblin attacks and yet they’ve done nothing. Just this morning they went about their business as normal, they deserve what is coming to them. I won’t let one man stop my quest for justice.”

Once more he turned toward his goblin army, with left hand raised, the jewel on his ring glowing brilliantly in the darkness.

“Destroy all in your path! Slaughter every man, woman and child! Leave none alive!”

xxxx

As before the thunder rolled as streaks of lightning lit up the night sky. However, this night dozens of armed men and women were stationed all around the city in anticipation for the impending attack. From human to half-elf to rhea to dwarf, all were impatiently waiting to see if this goblin army would really show, the only thing they knew for sure was they were getting paid gold for the goblins they killed and that was all that mattered. The armed soldiers were stationed around the town with the orders to support the adventurers and drive back the goblins. At the center of town was Goblin Slayer’s party, it was decided that until they knew which way the army would be attacking from, they would stand by ready to strike. Wolf once again stood beside Goblin Slayer, his leg still bandaged from the last attack, but he seemed to be moving around well.

“Um…excuse me?”

Goblin Slayer and the others turned to see Young Warrior and his party approaching with smiles on their faces.

“Oh it’s you guys.” Priestess found herself smiling that the trio from the other day had found them once again.

“Good to see you again.” Young Warrior bowed his head but started to frown as he turned toward Goblin Slayer. “Um…I wanted…wanted to…”

“Thank you for your assistance last night.” Goblin Slayer extended his right arm out the young man.

Young Warrior was stunned as were his party members to hear this silver ranked adventurer thank them, he smiled as he gladly took the hand and gave it a firm hand shake. The adventurers continued to wait, the smell of rain fresh in the air, but soon enough they started to hear a strange screeching sound, but this screeching was coming from all around them.

“They’re here.”

The sound of the screeching grew louder and louder as the time continued to pass on, the gates were closed to the entrance and exit of the town, yet even with this precaution many of the adventurers, experienced and inexperienced, began to tremble with fear. Those of their faith prayed to their deities for protection and the wellbeing of the Mountain Pass. High Elf Archer was the first to notice them, as she looked up toward the sky saw not just the lightning but now dozens of bright blue lights.

“Above us.”

“What are those…fairies?” Priestess looked up at the pretty lights that floated overhead.

“No…they’re not fairies.”

The group watched as the lights moved onward, but the moment one of the lights touched the rooftop of one of the nearby, the wood was suddenly scorched. Goblin Slayer suddenly realized the lights were the work of the Fallen Magician and there could be only one reason for them in the town.

“We need to douse those in water. They’re going to ignite the grenados.”

Eyes were wide as the saw the lights traveling all over them, those who had seen the grenados knew just how dangerous they could be. It was decided that Lizard Priest, Priestess and Rookie Mage would stay behind while the others scattered around to try and warn the others as well as put out the blue lights. The two archers ran along the rooftops trying to keep up with the lights, while Dwarf Shaman and Young Warrior took off in one direction and Goblin Slayer and Wolf took off in the other. They sounded the alarm, and those who could use water magic managed to put out some of the lights, but not enough.

The blue lights found their targets, grenados planted in the dirt near the base of the wall all around the town. The instant they touch the wicks, the explosives erupted around the adventurers, those too close were killed by the shockwave from the blast, others were thrown back and left temporarily deaf from the sound. The moments the walls came down, dozens of goblins rushed in to slaughter the downed adventurers. The hobs followed behind with massive clubs, crushing the skulls of unsuspecting people in their way. Then came in the wolf riders, the wolves would rushing and seize hold of downed people while the goblins hacked and slashed from atop these creatures.

Outside the town, Beast Master, Fallen Magician and Scar waited patiently before they too would enter the fray. They smiled as they heard the cries of the people inside, they could see the plumes of smoke from houses being set on fire, but soon they heard the goblins crying out, few at first, but soon there was an overwhelming number from around the town.

“The goblins…no even with the adventurers they shouldn’t be this strong. What is it, what…no.”

The adventurers quickly reorganized to form tighter ranks, as the soldiers, supplied with better armor and larger shields, formed shield walls to push back the goblins and stop the wolves. The goblins could not get past their armor and the moment the goblins were knocked aside, it was the adventurers who rushed in to finish them off. The goblins were successful with the first few houses they entered, slaughtering all the occupants, but soon everyday people rushed forward to strike the little devils with clubs and quickly went to work extinguishing the flames before the spread.

All around the town, the people went to work as instructed by the Mayor and Guild Manager who were simply relaying strategies given to them by Goblin Slayer. Those more experienced with the fights, such as High Elf Archer and Dwarf Shaman advised others to go for the wolves, once they were down the riders would be thrown off and easy targets, if possible use sleep or stupor to incapacitate the goblins making it easier to finish them off once they fell.

A dozen or so wolves rushed in to target two startled adventurers and soldiers when suddenly a large black figure leapt before them snarling. The wolves suddenly stopped as they looked at the size of the black animal, at first the humans thought it to be a bear, but soon realized it was a dire wolf. Instinctively the wolves growled and began to circle around the dire wolf, but soon an armored man stood beside the dire wolf with sword drawn. A few of the wolves tucked their tales between their legs at the site of these two, but that was met by the hit of a goblin club. Three of the wolves rushed forward to attack, one went for the armored man while the others two leapt toward the dire wolf. 

Goblin Slayer raised his shield and pushed the wolf back as it leapt for him, a grunt of pain from the impact, but he quickly finished it off with a sword strike to the neck. Wolf lunged for one of the wolves, seizing the started creature by its throat and with one bite crushed its neck. The second wolf leapt onto the dire wolf back biting into its hide. Wolf growled angrily as it shook its massive body violently, easily tossing off the smaller wolf and once it was down went for the neck as it did with the first wolf. Once finished, the two stood before the remaining wolves and goblins ready to continue the fight, but instead the goblins and wolves quickly retreated screaming as they ran back towards entrance they made.

“We’re going.”

Wolf gave one bark as it followed Goblin Slayer after the goblins and the wolves.

xxxx

Beast Master could see some of the goblins and wolves retreating back through the openings made by the grenados, each one bearing marks of the battle that was still taking place inside. His plan was falling apart, this boy, this Goblin Slayer had done the impossible, convinced an entire town to fight together against his army. With the unified citizens, soldiers and adventurers, there was no chance in hell that these creatures could win against such experienced fighters. Shamans could speak and use magic, he never wanted them among the goblins ranks, Goblin Champions were few and he only had three at the temple, but decided not to bring them thinking this force would be more than enough.

“My Love, what should we do?”

Angrily he tore off his hood throwing it to the ground then raised his left hand once more, as the jewel glowed the goblins and wolves felt pain around their necks, they still had to obey the orders of their master.

“All survivors, make for the temple and prepare for a counter attack!”

The survivors who fled dutifully headed the call of Beast Master and retreated back toward the ruined Earth Mother Temple. Before he too would retreat, he would enter the town to find and kill this boy, with whip and sword in hand he marched toward the destroyed section of the wall, Fallen Magician and Scar followed behind, never having seen him this angry before.

“ _How did you do this? For more than ten years I planned and prepared for this attack. I even made sure to only capture goblins, never using captive women to increase my army’s size. Yet in two nights, you have brought my plans crashing down. Where was this unity when my family needed it? Where is my justice?_ ”

He entered the town, nearby adventurers saw him and his companions and realized he was Beast Master. One adventurer rushed forward with ax in hand, only for the whip to strike him across the face. Blinded and bleeding he fell to his knees screaming until Beast Master rammed his sword through the adventurer’s chest. Two archers readied their arrows, but before they could attack, were engulfed in flames by Fallen Magician’s firebolt spell. A female martial artist stood ready to engage, but never got the chance as Scar pounced upon her. She screamed right up until Scar’s massive jaws engulfed her head and crushed her skull in one bite. Onward they marched with a bold stride, killing any and all in their way as they continued on toward the center of town.

“Where are you?” Beast Master growled in frustration as he looked about the battlefield for Goblin Slayer. “I should have killed you the moment I saw you! I am here to correct that mistake! Show yourself!”

xxxx

“I think we have won the day.” Lizard Priest panting heavily as he watched the remaining goblins flee from the adventurers.

“There is still quite a bit of damage to the town, we’ll have to help those we can.” Priestess added as she finished bandaging Rookie Mage’s arm.

“Easy, the damn goblin arrow still hurts.”

Just as things seemed to be settling down, Lizard Priest cried out in pain, the two girls turned to see him fall forward, the cause of which was a black whip striking his back. The Dragoon-Tooth Warrior was destroyed by a fireball as it rushed to its summoner’s side. Rookie Mage’s eyes were wide as she turned further and saw the Beast Master recoil his whip before tucking it away as Fallen Magician walked behind him. Before she could defend or even say anything, he rushed toward her and struck her stomach with all of his force. The force of the blow against her slim frame was enough to force her to vomit up the contents of her stomach, with the wind knocked out of her, she blacked out and fell forward. Beast Master then turned his attention toward Priestess who trembled so much her sounding staff jingled loudly.

“Why?” She looked toward her party member and saw the blood flowing down his back then back toward Rookie Mage to see her motionless body. “Why are you doing this?”

“I told him he’d lose those close to him if he interfered.” He walked forward, a burst of fire from a house blazed behind him making his blue eyes appear to glow.

Priestess took a couple steps back, she was reminded of Goblin Slayer the first time she saw him in the cave, but this was not Goblin Slayer…this was something much worse. He stopped when he was only a couple inches away from her, easily able to tower over her, Priestess eyes were wide and started to water as she looked at the face of the monstrous man, until she felt the pain in her stomach like Rookie Mage had. Beast Master struck her with the same force about her stomach, the chainmail absorbed part of the impact but still left her breathless. The last thing she saw was him smiling just before she collapsed to her knees, falling toward the ground. Lizard Priest grunted as he struggled to get back on his feet and saw both Beast Master and Fallen Magician scoop up the unconscious girls.

“Unhand them you devil.” He got back to his feet, but the pain through his body kept him from moving.

“That boy will rue the day he crossed me, tell him the longer he takes to come, the less of the girls there will be to save.”


	14. Chapter 14

High Elf Archer heard the cry of her friend, even over the sounds of the battle around her. With wide eyes she quickly ran back toward the center of town pushing through the chaos around her. Behind her was Half-Elf Archer who struggled to keep up with her, but he too could sense that something was not right. They looked about the courtyard in the center of town, and to her horror saw Lizard Priest struggling to push himself back up, but there was no sign of the two girls, both archers rushed to aid the downed warrior.

“Are you alright? What happened?” High Elf Archer placed herself under his right arm and used all her strength to help him stand.

“I got you.” Half-Elf Archer joined her on the opposite side and too help the massive Lizard Priest up.

Lizard Priest hissed through his teeth, the wound still stung from the force of the lash against his back, but the blood had finally started to clot.

“You have my gratitude, but you need to go after the others, Beast Master has taken them both!” Lizard Priest pointed toward the direction behind him, but a good section of the street was still covered in flames.

High Elf Archer rushed toward a nearby building and leapt for the nearby ledge, then leapt once again toward the rooftop and continued on toward the edge of the town. Half-Elf stayed behind with Lizard Priest and helped the wrapping the wound along his back. High Elf Archer ran until there was no further rooftops, she looked out toward the area around the town and saw a wagon racing away toward the mountainside and beside it was a large brown wolf.

“Damn it!” High Elf Archer slammed her fist upon the roof as she was forced to watch the wagon pull further and further away.

xxxx

“I tell you lad, that was a bit of a tough fight.”

“Yes sir, I’m just thankful that we saw it through.”

“Not quite, there are still surviving goblins, not to mention the Beast Master and his partner.”

“He’s still alive?”

“I doubt Beardcutter has had a chance to…”

Both Dwarf Shaman and Young Warrior reached the center of town, amid the pile of goblin and wolf corpses, they found Lizard Priest being tended to by Half-Elf Archer.

“Scaly!” Dwarf Shaman rushed to check on his comrade. “What the hell happened to you? Did those little devils do this?

“It shames me to say that Beast Master snuck up behind me. He took the two girls…I was helpless to stop him.”

“What! By the Gods that bastard will pay!”

“That should do it.” Half-Elf Archer finished patching up the wound. “I’m no healer, but hopefully that will hold.”

“You have my thanks.”

“Are all of you okay?” Goblin Slayer and Wolf crossed over the corpses to check on the others. “Your back…was it goblins or the Beast Master?”

“The Beast Master Milord Goblin Slayer. I failed to protect them, Beast Master made off with both girls, he’s planning to kill them in retaliation for your interference.”

“Orcbolg!”

They looked to see High Elf Archer jump down from the rooftop and rush to rejoin her comrades.

“I saw them go by covered wagon, making their way toward the mountain side. I couldn’t stop them.”

Goblin Slayer was silent as he looked around, the others were concerned for their missing comrades and it was a bit disconcerting that Goblin Slayer was not reacting. Amidst the chaos of people helping the injured, checking the goblin corpses and putting out the fires, Goblin Slayer found a good size wagon.

“We’re taking the wagon and we’re going after them.”

“What about the goblins Orcbolg, there’s still quite a few of them.”

“Those two are the priority. We’ll deal with the goblins as they come at us.”

“Then what the hell are we waiting for Beardcutter, let’s get this bastard!”

The adventurers and Wolf rushed toward the wagon, Goblin Slayer and High Elf Archer at the front while the rest piled into the back. The mayor rushed out to call toward Goblin Slayer but the wagon took off before he could get a word in. Over the destroyed entrance of the town, the wagon raced on just as the downpour of rain fell upon the group.

“At least the rain shall aid in putting out the fires around the town. What is the plan Milord Goblin Slayer?”

“He’ll use the last of his goblins to attack, we push through and find both of them.”

“Thanks Mr. Goblin Slayer for helping us get back our comrade.” Young Warrior bowed his head toward Lizard Priest and Dwarf Shaman as the wagon bounced along.

“What…what if she lost to us?” Half-Elf Archer placed a worried hand on Young Warrior’s shoulder as the thought crossed his mind.

The others looked at one another, none wanted to think about it, but there was the possibility that both Rookie Mage and Priestess were already gone, even Wolf gave a small whine. Suddenly a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a loud thunderclap, as the sound subsided a voice spoke out clear as day. It was flat with just a hint of anger or perhaps it was the voice of one holding on to what little sense there was before the rage boiled over.

“We will retrieve them both…if not then I will kill him and every last goblin in that temple.”

Both novice adventurers were stunned by Goblin Slayer’s bold statement, but the rest of his party could only smile as they had come to trust his confidence even in the direst of situations.

“You hear that my boy, with a statement like that we can’t fail.” Dwarf Shaman gave the two young adventurers a hearty slap on the shoulders with a big smile. “Now let’s get those two back and put an end to the Beast Master.”

xxxx

Priestess slowly started to stir, the pain in her stomach now gone, her vision still blurry as it adjusted to the light where she could finally see her surroundings. It looked very similar to the Earth Mother Temple back home, but she could see cracks and broken pieces in the marble around her. Next to her was the still unconscious Rookie Mage bound by her hands and feet, she tried to move, but found her arms and feet bound by rope as well.

“You need to wake up.” Priestess struggled to free her hands.

Rookie Mage groaned before opening her eyes, she too looked around, surprised to see their surroundings had changed and the fact that they were both alive.

“What…what’s happening?”

“You’re both here in the ruined temple.”

Both girls looked toward the entrance of the room and found Fallen Magician sitting upon a table with legs crossed and a light smile upon her face. Nearby were three goblins armed with spears who spoke to one another in their strange language all the while cackling as they looked at both girls.

“You…what…why are you doing this?” Priestess grew nervous as she watched the goblins.

“Because of your friend’s interference.” Fallen Magician’s smile soon turned to a frown. “We had planed for so long to take the town, and now our forces are down to about a hundred. He wanted to kill you both the moment we got back here, right now I’m the only one keeping you alive.”

The goblins advanced forward with spears aimed at the girls, both girls tried to back away but with their backs against the wall there was nowhere to go. Fallen Magician held out her hand to the goblins forcing them to stop, the goblins growled angrily at her before turning and walking out of the room.

“How…how are you able to control them? I thought all goblins killed other races and ravaged women.” Priestess found herself intrigued at how anyone, any human could control the goblins.

“After my…failure, I chose to aid my love on his mission, but going down the path of magic set before me would not be of any use. I chose to follow the path of dark magic, there I learned the slave enchantment. With the magic insignia on the individual and the proper control tool, anyone can be turned into a slave. This way we were able to amass our forces…that is until you and your friends had to interfere.”

“Of course we had to fight! You were going to destroy my town, my friends!” Rookie Mage angrily struggled to move to assault the Fallen Magician.

“You’ve both used goblins to hurt others because you were hurt yourselves! I’ve experienced that myself, but hurting others won’t change that for me!”

“I knew that we had something in common, and I’m glad that you were able to continue on your path of an adventurer, but now that must come to an end. I won’t let those creatures have their way with you, I’m no monster.” Fallen Magician walked toward the girls and from within her cloak brought out a large grenado with an extremely long wick. “If given the opportunity, my love would have killed you himself…rather violently I might add. This is why I told you to leave.”

She placed the explosive in the center of the room and slowly started to back away laying out the wick along the floor as she did so. Priestess and Rookie Mage looked on with wide eyes, the realization that they would be killed by the explosion horrified both of them as they struggled to break their binds.

“No…I don’t want to die.”

“Please…don’t do this! You know what you’re both doing is wrong, stop now while there is time to undo the damage.” Priestess pleaded as angry tears ran down her face at the fate before them and the helplessness of being unable to stop it.

“There’s no going back from this. I’m truly sorry for what must be done, take comfort in the knowledge that your end will be quick rather than be left to the goblins.”

Fallen Magician left the room and continued for a few more feet before igniting the wick and watching as it slowly burned down. She could hear the cries of protest from the girls inside, but ignored them as she walked away to rejoin Beast Master. She rejoined Beast Master who just finished giving his orders to the Goblin Champions, the monstrous brutes grunted before each moving in a different direction. Beast Master paced back and forth anxiously as Scar watched him from a distance, Fallen Magician walked toward him and finally placed a hand on his shoulder. He quickly turned, completely caught off guard by her presence, she could easily tell that he was no longer his calm self.

“My love…it is done, the explosive is set. Calm yourself.”

“Yes…I must regain my composure before his arrival.” Beast Master smiled as he looked into her eyes and with a heavy heart knew what needed to be done. “Leave.”

“What?”

“Leave out the back, they don’t know who you are, you can rebuild your life.”

“But what of you?”

“I have no intention of allowing myself to be captured and taken before the Sword Maiden or the fat, foolish mayor. I will kill that boy and his companions…and then I too will die tonight. You…you must live though, find happiness and live out your life in peace.”

“I will not abandon you! My, my love do not ask me to leave you in your hour of need!”

Beast Master brought her close to him and embraced her tightly, tears starting to form in her eyes. He then moved to passionately kiss her, tears still running down her face she tightly embraced him until they finally broke apart.

“Goodbye my dear, know that I love you and am truly happy that you stayed with me through all of this. Now go, leave before they arrive.”

He turned his back on her and walked away, Scar stood and walked behind him as he prepared for his fight with Goblin Slayer; she cried out for him to return, but he ignored her as he continued on. Angrily she clenched her fists, she would not just leave while he remained behind to die, she turned and made her way down a different section of the temple, ready to attack the intruders.

“I will not lose him…you Goblin Slayer and your party will die here!”

xxxx

Goblin Slayer and his party disembarked the wagon and marched toward the entrance of the ruined temple. Lizard Priest created a Dragon-Tooth Warrior and prepared to take his revenge for the sneak attack he received earlier. The others readied themselves for the long battle ahead of them, they would not have any other adventurers to support them and the fatigue from the earlier battle was still present.

“We find the girls first then focus on the Beast Master. Kill any goblins in your way.”

In they charged, breaking down the rotten wooden door, the six goblins on the other side were completely caught off guard as the group easily slaughtered them in one fell swoop. They noticed different pathways within the temple and the best decision was to split up to cover as much of the temple as possible.

“The young ones and I will take this pathway on the left Beardcutter.”

“Lady Ranger, my Dragon-Tooth Warrior and I shall proceed down the right pathway.”

“Then Wolf and I shall go forward. Be cautious of the goblins and wolves.”

xxxx

“What are we going to do?” Rookie Mage panicked as she watched the fuse getting shorter and shorter.

Priestess too was worried, in a few short moments the grenado would explode and they along with it. She could see their equipment off in the corner, but with their hands and feet bound, there would be no time to reach for them and cast Protection. She needed to think like Goblin Slayer, examine the situation and the solution, she had to use her imagination.

“Stay calm, we’re still alive.” Repeating the words Goblin Slayer had told her before was just as comforting as if he was there with them.

She moved from side to side until she fell over on her side, then once on her belly she began to crawl forward along the ground toward the grenado. The bottoms of her hands were scraped as she dragged her body forward, but the pain would be worth it if she could stop the explosive and save the two of them. Onward she crawled, past the explosive toward the burning wick, once over the burning section she raised her bound hands and brought them down upon the flames. She grunted in pain, as the flames singed her wounded hands but they were finally out.

“There…fire’s out.” Priestess sighed in relief as she rolled onto her back, now they’re were safe from the explosive. “I’m sure he would be proud of that.”

“Oh thank you.”

“Hold onto your thanks until we’re free, they’re still several goblins about.”

xxxx

Lizard Priest and Dragon-Tooth Warrior slashed through the goblins while High Elf Archer took aim at the wolves and their riders. It was easily some twenty goblins to deal with, but the numbers were slowly starting to thin, until a large club came crashing down upon the Dragon-Tooth Warrior returning it back to its catalysts. High Elf Archer and Lizard Priest looked on to see the massive, muscular goblin marched forward with a sneer upon its face.

“Goblin Champion!”

“Leave this brute to me Lady Ranger.”

Lizard Priest and the Goblin Champion traded blows one after another neither giving way until finally both weapons shattered upon the final impact. The two warriors tossed aside their weapons and rushed forward clasping hands as each attempted to overpower the other.

“If you’re hoping to best me in strength then you are sorely mistaken monster. O strange and proud brontosaurus, grant me the strength of ten thousand!”

Partial Dragon caused Lizard Priest’s muscle to grow to the point of them tearing through his garments. With his greater strength he pushed forward, the goblin champion grunting as it tried to stop the warrior but found it was losing ground against the lizardman. With a growl, Lizard Priest crushed the goblin champion’s fingers, turning its hands into a bloody mess. As the goblin champion howled in pain, Lizard Priest opened his jaws wide and bit into the champion’s neck; the champion gurgled on its blood as Lizard Priest tore out its throat. High Elf Archer looked on with wide eyes as Lizard Priest tossed aside the corpse of the Goblin Champion before roaring in victory. He then turned toward High Elf Archer, spitting blood from its mouth off to the side.

“A foul taste from a foul creature, but the skirmish is won.”

“That ferocity of yours really does scare me from time to time.”

“My apologies my lady, know that this strength is only used to aid my comrades. Not to mention I’m still quite mad from the earlier attack by Beast Master and may have vented my frustration on this goblin.”

“So long as it not towards me. Come on, we’ve got to keep moving.”

Meanwhile, Goblin Slayer and Wolf easily cleared through the goblin horde when the suddenly heard the sound of an explosion from within the temple. The tremors from the blast causing dust to fall from the ceiling upon them; Goblin Slayer looked back, the sound was not a good sign, and suddenly the image of Priestess flashed through his mind.

“Wolf, go and protect them. I’ll move forward.”

Wolf looked back toward Goblin Slayer, the armored man was pointing in the opposite direction and it heard the word “protect”. Wolf barked before charging back toward the sound of the explosion, the youngest member of his new pack had been taken, he would protect her at all costs.

xxxx

“Wolf Riders!” Young Warrior could only look on with wide eyes as nearly a dozen wolves with goblin mounts rushed forward. “There’s too many of them.”

“Wrong, they’re easy targets! Come out you gnomes, it’s time to work, now don’t you dare your duty shirk-a bit of dust may cause no shock, but a thousand make a lovely rock! Stone Blast!”

Hundreds of tiny rocks flee forward with incredible speed, tearing through the wolves and goblin riders like paper. The two young adventurers were completely shocked at the carnage ahead of them, thankful this dwarf was on their side.

“Come on lads! We have friends to rescue.”

The trio continued until they finally reached the room where the found both girls alive and well. The groups rejoiced as both young adventurers went to work removing their bindings. Once free Rookie Mage ran toward her comrades to embrace both of them while Priestess embraced Dwarf Shaman.

“You alright lass?”

“I am, we managed to stop the grenado from going off.”

“Good on you both, but we’re still in the middle of a fight.” Dwarf Shaman quickly retrieved both the sounding staff and magic staff and handed each to their owners.

Just as they readied to exit the room, they turned to see the monstrous form of a goblin champion standing there in the door frame while small goblins cackled by his feet. The goblin champion rushed in with battle axe in hand raised to crush those before it, but as it brought the axe down, it was stopped by an invisible wall. Priestess cast Protection at just the right moment, but now found the champion continuing to strike the wall as well as the other goblins joining in.

“I won’t be able to hold him for long.”

“We got to do something, but I’m down to my last spell.” Dwarf Shaman took a step back as the goblin champion struck the magic wall and hit something along the floor, he looked down to see the grenado with a left over wick. “I think it’s time we use Beast Master’s own tricks against his forces”

Dwarf Shaman cut the wick even shorter and using his flint piece restarted the grenado. He quickly rolled the grenado through the Protection wall then readied his last spell to provide more protection for the group.

“Come out, you gnomes, it’s time to build! Let all this space with earth be filled! Fear no wind and fear no waves – a solid wall keeps them at bay! Get behind the wall, cover your ears and open your mouth!”

Priestess and the others quickly jumped behind the Stone Wall, before the protection spell dropped, the grenado exploded! The group looked over the wall to see the results of the grenado, the smaller goblins were easily blown apart, gore and remains flying across the room, the goblin champion’s corpse collapsed to the ground, left leg missing and its entrails spilling out from its body.

“I would have hate to see what would have happened if we were not protected ourselves. Beardcutter was right in stating these things are far too dangerous to be an everyday item.”

“I’ve had just about enough with this goblin quest.” Rookie Mage sighed as one surprise after another was mentally draining. “The sooner were out of here the better.”

“What of Goblin Slayer?”

“Beardcutter and Wolf have moved ahead to deal with Beast Master, let’s go and make sure the others aren’t in any trouble.”

The group exited the room and turned toward their right to continue through the temple, when they heard the cackling of the goblins from behind. They turned to find six goblin archers ready with arrows drawn, right before they let loose with the volley. Priestess was in the back, watching as time seemed to slow with the arrows coming right towards her. She could no longer hear the cries of the others, she had no time to cast Protection, and their one foolish mistake of not checking behind them would cost her life. Suddenly everything went black, or rather a wall of darkness now stood before her and the arrows. She heard the arrows impact the wall and strangely also heard a yelp of pain from the wall, she soon realized this wall was not stone but made of fur.

“Wolf!”

The dire wolf threw itself in front of Priestess, all six arrows pierced its right side in various spots. Despite the pain, the dire wolf growled as it charged toward the goblin archers, while most were terrified at the sight of the massive beast charging at them, two more of the archers launched their arrows. One struck WOLF in the chest while the other hit his left shoulder, again he cried out but did not stop his charge. He crashed into the small group, his jaws snapping left and right on the thin goblin limbs, throwing their bodies around like they weighed nothing. Wolf panted heavily as the fighting concluded, it growled as it took hold of the arrow in its chest with its teeth and pulled ripping the arrow out. It then repeated this motion for the arrow in its left shoulder, his blood staining the floor from the wounds, its body felt sluggish and there was a burning pain inside, but he had protected the little one.

The others rushed over to examine Wolf, the six arrows still stuck in its side from the first attack. Wolf turning to meet them, his breathing very labored and it looked like he was ready to topple over at any moment. Tears ran down Priestess’s face as she saw the state of her friend, but as she looked down a sight replaced that sadness with horror. There on the goblin arrows she could see the same dark viscous liquid that stained the goblin dagger that day in the cave on her first adventure.

“Poison…the arrows are coated in poison!”

There was a look of worry that crossed everyone’s face, but before they could say anything, they heard the loud roar of another goblin champion. Wolf instinctively growled despite the pain and rushed forward, past the others as they cried out for him to stop.

“That damn animal. Come on, we got to get to the others.”

xxxx

Goblin Slayer slaughtered the final goblins before finally coming face to face with Beast Master and Scar. In the darkness his left seemed to glow which brought a smile to Beast Master’s face while Scar growled at the armored man.

“You finally made it boy. You and your friends have made quick work of my goblin army. I spent years preparing for that raid on Mountain Pass and in one night it was completely undone. Of every person I’ve been forced to come in contact with, no one has ever managed to arouse my ire more than you.”

“Your assault with the goblins ends tonight.”

“I hate to tell you this, but that tremor you heard earlier was the grenado I placed with the two captives. Your little friends are no more than a stain on the wall.”

Goblin Slayer tightened his grip around his sword which brought a bigger smile to Beast Master’s face.

“I told you you’d lose more than just your life if you continued to interfere.”

“You’ll get no mercy from me.” With sword raised, Goblin Slayer prepared to fight this man before him.

“Let’s see what you can with this opponent first.”

There was a heavy stomping sound from within the darkness behind Beast Master, out stepped a massive goblin champion with club in hand. The goblin champion brought its club crashing down, to which Goblin Slayer rolled to the side only to have its left arm gripped by the Warg who threw him to the side. As Goblin Slayer tried to stand he was then struck across the chest by Beast Master’s whip which pushed him back to the ground, thankfully the metal plate across his chest prevented any breaking in the skin. Goblin Slayer pushed himself back up, only to be forced to roll to the side once again as the goblin champion struck the ground.

“I never said this would be a fair fight boy.”

xxxx

“Damn you!”

High Elf Archer and Lizard Priest were forced to take cover as Fallen Magician was launching firebolt after firebolt at them from a higher level. Down below they could hear more goblins coming, High Elf Archer would snipe the goblins whenever she could, but could not risk exposing herself with the magician targeting them.

“I told you to leave! It wasn’t supposed to be like this! I won’t lose him you hear me!”

“Lady Ranger, this one has lost control of her senses, we need to put an end to this fight while she at a disadvantage!”

“What do you suggest?”

“Wait for the right moment, then strike hard!”

Lizard Priest was down to his last spell, he could create a blade, but with this magic user, it would be foolish to rush forward. Fallen Magician had lost patience and ready to use the disintegration spell on them and finish this fight in one blow. High Elf Archer saw this and waited until the spell was nearly cast when she fired an arrow, striking Fallen Magician in the left shoulder. As Fallen Magician reached for the wound in her arm, disintegration was cast destroying the wall to her left. The force of the spell pushed her off the balcony of the higher level, she fell and crashed through a storage room two levels down. Fallen Magician grunted as she started to push herself up, but suddenly the pain from the arrow was still present and now a new pain came from her right leg. She looked down to see the bone piercing through her flesh and a strange liquid around her. Looking at her body and taking in the smell, she realized she broke through the barrel containing the oil used for lighting the lanterns in the temple. The pain was too great to try and stand, but soon she heard the sound of heavy breathing around her. Her eyes readjusted to the darkness and then saw him step forward, the hobgoblin that had been starring at her the night of the raid on the farmstead. The hob smiled as it looked at the injured woman and slowly stalked toward the helpless woman, the trauma of his first failed adventure flooded over her as she struggled to back away.

“No! Get back!”

The hob roughly grabbed her injured leg and pulled her closer as she screamed in pain and fear; the hob proceeded to tear away at her clothing as she struggled to move away.

“Hold on, we’re coming.” High Elf Archer and Lizard priest rushed to move to the lower level, even if she was an enemy, they could not be so cold as to leave her to be a plaything of the goblins.

In her frenzy, she grabbed her magic rod and pointed it at the hob and cast firebolt, completely forgetting her body was covered in oil. The fire bolt pierced through the hob’s chest, but as his body was engulfed in flames so too was hers. She screamed in agony as her body was surrounded in flames, High Elf Archer and Lizard Priest could only look in horror as her body writhed thrashed around in a futile attempt to douse the flames, but in mere moments she finally stopped her movement, the stench of her burning body lingered in the room.

xxxx

Beast Master looked toward his left at the sound of the screams he heard, the color drained from his face the moment he realized the cries came from his love. Why was she still here, he told her to leave? That moment of distraction was all Goblin Slayer needed as he drew out a small dagger from his side and hurled toward Beast Master’s unprotected leg. The blade imbedded itself in his leg forcing Beast Master to hiss in pain as he held his injured limb. With one of the opponents out of the way Goblin Slayer could fully focus on the goblin champion, his sword knocked aside by an earlier blow, he reached for one of the goblin clubs and rushed forward striking the goblin’s kneecap with enough force to break it. The goblin howled in pain as it was forced to drop to its knees, the moment it was down Goblin Slayer rushed in and struck the champion across the face with the club. Over and over again he struck, teeth spilled onto the floor, blood spattered across his armor and finally the champion fell forward, its head looking more like raw meat than anything else.

“That’s thirty-three.” Goblin Slayer panted heavily from the constant beating he inflicted on the goblin champion, but did not see the warg charge forward.

Scar pounced on Goblin Slayer, its weight pushing down on his chest easily cracking ribs, its massive jaws clamped onto his left arm. Goblin Slayer grunted as the jaws crushed his arm, adding to the break in the bone.

“Damn you! Kill him!” Beast Master tore out the dagger and tossed it aside before running out the back.

Goblin Slayer struck the warg across the face twice, but with the weight of the beast pinning him down, the blows lacked his full strength behind them; Scar shook its head to the side, easily tossing aside Goblin Slayer’s body. Goblin Slayer struggled to push himself up, when Scar rushed at him again, determined to crush his neck in one bite, however something prevented that. Goblin Slayer heard a painful yelp from behind, and as he turned saw the warg had hold of Wolf by his neck.

“Wolf.”

Scar pushed Wolf down to the ground growling as it shook its head from side to side tearing at Wolf’s neck. Wolf cried out in pain, blood running from its mouth as it struggled to get itself back up, but its strength was failing him. Goblin Slayer quickly pushed himself up, despite the pain and rush forward striking the warg across the face. Scar yelped in pain forcing it to release the dire wolf and back away, snarling at the armored man who now stood between him and downed dire wolf. Before he could attack, a stone flew forward striking the warg in the right eye, the warg cried out as blood ran from its ruined eye forcing it to run away after Beast Master. Goblin Slayer turned to see Dwarf Shaman with sling in hand rushing forward with Priestess and three young adventurers in tow.

“Get away from Wolf you bastard!”

He lowered his weapon, trying to catch his breath as the others drew closer, he then heard more footsteps and turned to see High Elf Archer and Lizard Priest rushing forward. The others were delighted to see that everyone was alright, but that all changed the moment they saw Wolf lying motionless on the floor. Tears streamed down Priestess face as she dropped to her knees to check over Wolf, his breathing was labored, his eyes barely open as it looked toward everyone around him. The moment she placed her hands on his body, he winced in pain causing her to draw her hands away only to find them stained with blood. Hot tears ran down High Elf Archer’s face to which Dwarf Shaman placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, Lizard Priest sighed as he bowed his head and placed his hands together. Goblin Slayer said nothing, he looked down at Wolf’s body, examining the arrows in his side then looked over toward his left and spotted his sword.

“Goblin Slayer?” Priestess voice was weak as she watched him walk over toward his sword and pick it up, her eyes went wide as the image of Wizard flashed through her mind, she instantly threw her body over Wolf’s not caring about the blood staining her vestments. “Please no…not Wolf! We…we can save…”

“Remove the arrows then use purify to remove the poisons in his body.”

“Wha…what?”

“Once she’s finished, use Refresh to heal his wounds.” Goblin Slayer’s voice was still without emotion as he sheathed his sword and examined the goblin club.

“Of course Milord Goblin Slayer.”

Goblin Slayer removed the pouch along his back, he drank a healing potion and stamina potion before tossing the pouch toward Dwarf Shaman

“In that pouch there’s a large chuck of dried meat, make sure he eats the whole thing.”

“Why worry about the meat?”

“I’ve had it soaked in a healing and stamina potion, he’ll need all the help he can get.” Goblin Slayer then turned back toward the still shocked Priestess added more directions. “Once he’s stable, wrap up his wounds, we don’t want him bleeding again.”

“Yes sir.” Priestess sniffed before wiping her eyes, a small smile crossed her face.

“I need the rest of you to keep them safe and deal with any surviving goblins.”

“We’ll deal with them Orcbolg.” High Elf Archer nodded as she too wiped her eyes and readied to keep the others safe. “What are you going to do?”

Goblin Slayer looked back toward the darkened hallway Beast Master and Scar had escaped down and tightened his grip around the goblin club and marched forward, his red eyes ablaze in the darkness.

“I’m going to kill the Beast Master and the warg.”


	15. Chapter 15

Above the former Earth Mother Temple was a wide overhang, but even this was not the top of the mountain. Before the wars, this would have been a site for the acolytes to perform their rituals for their beloved Earth Mother, but now it was ruined wasteland before the elements. Amidst the howl of the wind and downpour of rain, Beast Master peered over the edge at the darkness below; he could easily jump off and avoid capture since his plan had failed and now his love had more than likely met her demise, but that would give the Goblin Slayer and his surviving party members a final victory.

“ _Why have the gods allowed the dice to fall as they do? Was it not enough to take my family from me, but now my love and my revenge too? That boy…that miserable boy…I don’t know what favor he holds with the gods, but I shall end him here tonight. I will slaughter as many of them as possible before I die…and should I win the day, then this abyss before me will be my reward as I travel back to my beautiful magician._ ”

He heard the whine of the warg, he turned hoping to find the remains of one of the adventurers in his jaws, but only saw an injured animal retreating before him. Its right eye gone from an attack by the adventurers, another failure before him, just like the goblins and smaller wolves he had trained.

“You damn pitiful creature!”

Beast Master struck at Scar with his whip, knocking the warg to the ground with a cry of pain. Scar slowly stood snarling at Beast Master who cracked his whip along the ground causing the warg to take a couple steps back.

“You only needed to kill that one human, and you failed at that! Even more pathetic you ran after a slight wound to the eye. You are worthless!”

“I don’t believe you are in any position to criticize him.”

Beast Master frowned as he looked past the warg and saw a warrior in dirty leather armor with club in hand staring back at him. A streak of lightning shot across the sky illuminating both of them, as the light subsided Goblin Slayer’s left eye was ablaze with a fiery, red light. From where he was, Beast Master could not help but think he was looking at piece of cursed armor and that thought brought a smile to his face as his own eyes shined with a blue light.

Goblin Slayer stared at this man in dirty leather armor, whip in right hand and sword in his left smiling back at him. This man who had lost everything to the goblins spent years honing his skills, trying new techniques against his opponents, and preparing for a lifetime of revenge…but that was as far as the similarities went. Beside this man was the injured warg, it turned toward Goblin Slayer and growled, blood still present on its fangs, Wolf’s blood, and the sight made Goblin Slayer tightly clench his fists.

“You too ran right after your injury did you not?” Goblin Slayer walked forward, the heavy raining batting against his damaged armor as he neared his opponent.

“It would be a mistake to refer to me as a coward boy, I’m merely choosing the spot where you will die.” Beast Master walked forward as well, the smile on his face masked the rage and instability that now coursed through him, Scar following close behind. “I don’t see any of your friends or that mangy cur of yours…did you fail to protect those close to you again?”

Goblin Slayer was silent as he looked toward Beast Master, then looked toward the warg, a beast equal in size and mass as his dire wolf, then back toward Beast Master.

“Wolf…is far stronger than your warg. Even with the injuries he received, he continued to fight rather than run. It would appear that you are inept at properly training your animal Beast Master.”

“I will enjoy killing you.” Beast Master raised his sword for battle and gave his whip a crack along the ground. “I can see now that you are what I could have been had I decided to remain a weak-willed fool. Know that when you die, your companions will be right behind you as I send you all to hell. Come…let us give the gods a good show!”

“You talk too much.” Goblin Slayer charged forward with club and clashed with Beast Master’s sword.

The two traded blow for blow, Beast Master being in better shape for not having to fight constantly, but Goblin Slayer’s controlled rage pushed him forward despite his injuries. Scar rushed forward snapping at Goblin Slayer who moved back and swung the club toward the warg to drive it back, he turned in time to raise his shield and block the Beast Master’s sword strike before being knocked back. Goblin Slayer shook off the attack and charged forward pushing Beast Master back with a blow to his chest with his shield, then swung the club once again knocking the sword out of his hand. With a final push from his shield, he knocked the Beast Master to the ground, the pain in his left arm ever present the more the used it.

Just as Goblin Slayer readied to continue the attack, Scar rushed forward tackling armored warrior. Goblin Slayer struck the beast across the snout once, then twice, but on the third blow the injured animal got hold of the club in its jaws and savagely shook its head from side to side until it tore the club out of his hand and tossed aside. With jaws open again, it lunged toward the adventurer’s helmet, Goblin Slayer used both hands to stop the jaws from moving forward, its massive fangs tearing into his gloved hands. As the human’s blood dripped into its mouth, this only excited the beast who continued to push closer and closer all the while growling at the human.

At this rate, the warg would crush his hands and then his helmet, something needed to be done before the Beast Master rejoined the fray. Goblin Slayer removed his right hand and placed his shield and left arm into the jaws of the warg, the monstrous beast clamping down with all its might, crushing the shield and further cracking the bones in Goblin Slayer’s left arm. Scar growled as it shook its head, attempting to tear the Goblin Slayer’s arm off while dragging him along the ground, Goblin Slayer struggled to reach for his sword with all the movement. He finally drew out his sword and proceeded to stab the warg in its left side over and over, Scar still biting and growling until the final blow to its chest. Scar cried out as Goblin Slayer withdrew the blade, watching at the warg collapsed to its side, blood running from its wounds as it lay motionless.

Goblin Slayer struggled to catch his breath, waiting for the warg to get back up, but could see it was no longer moving even appearing to not be breathing. He grunted as he looked down at his mangled left arm, and slowly rolled to where he was no longer on his back but on his stomach, this way he could push himself up with his good arm. Just as he managed to get to his knees, Beast Master charged forward taking whip in both hands and wrapping around Goblin Slayer’s neck and pulling in opposite directions. Goblin Slayer dropped his sword as he brought both hands to the whip around his neck, ignoring the pain in his arm as he struggled to remove the whip that was suffocating him.

“You’ll be lucky if all I do is choke you to death boy!” A crazed smile splashed across his face as he heard Goblin Slayer gasping for air, making him pull the whip tighter and tighter. “I’m going to keep pulling until that weak neck of yours snaps like a dry twig.”

Goblin Slayer’s vision began to fade, he’d pass out at this rate, so he removed his left hand and started feeling around the ground while his right hand struggled to break the grip of the whip. Soon enough he found the hilt of his sword, then taking the sword in a hand with blade pointed towards him, drove it backwards tearing into Beast Master’s left side. Beast Master screamed as he removed his hands and stumbled backwards holding onto his injured side as the blood ran over his gloves. Goblin Slayer removed the whip and tossed it aside and he gasped for air. He soon stood and turned toward the injured Beast Master, then rushed forward tackling him to the ground, the moment he hit the ground Goblin Slayer proceeded to pummel the Beast Master with his fists over and over. Blood ran from Beast Master’s mouth and nose with each blow, but now it was Beast Master’s turn to counter the devastating attack. From behind his back, he pulled out a large silver dagger and rammed it into Goblin Slayer’s right side, easily piercing through the chainmail, and twisted it around causing Goblin Slayer to spit up some blood through his visor before stumbling backwards.

“That chainmail may protect against cheap goblin blades, but that is no goblin blade.” Beast Master wiped the blood from his nose then spit out the blood and loose tooth from his mouth before laying eyes on the goblin club on the floor. “You’re biggest mistake is you think too much like a goblin. I on the other hand use various strategies to win.”

Goblin Slayer gripped the handle of the dagger, but before he could remove it, Beast Master struck him across the helmet with the club knocking him back to the ground. While Goblin Slayer was knocked down, Beast Master walked over to retrieve his whip and now with both weapons in hand, he readied to continue the torture.

xxxx

“I’m not seeing any more goblins, I think we got the last of them.” Half-Elf Archer sighed as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, then looked down to find the quiver of arrows completely empty.

“I’ve used up all my spells, I’ve got nothing left.” Rookie Mage plopped to the floor rather ungracefully as she struggled to catch her breath.

“Then the goblin army is fully dealt with.” Young Warrior sheathed his sword then turned back toward the other adventurers who continued to work on healing the dire wolf. “How is your companion?”

“We’ve done everything Beardcutter suggested, it’s up to this big brute now.”

“He has to make it.” High Elf Archer frowned as she found herself pacing back and forth. “We’re not done adventuring together.”

“Calm yourself Lady Ranger, he is still breathing, we just need to be patient.”

Priestess frowned, her vestments stained red from the blood but that didn’t matter to her, what mattered was the wellbeing of Wolf. She placed the dire wolf head upon her lap and gently stroked his head as she watched him sleep, praying to the Earth Mother that he would not have to be taken away this night.

“I’m out of spells myself, but saying the prayer can’t hurt the situation it can only help. O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, lay your revered hand upon this child…”

Wolf’s eyes began to wince before he finally opened them. He looked around before locking eyes with Priestess; the sight of the little one he protected, alive and well, made his tail wag although weakly. Priestess once again broke into tears as she hugged Wolf, thankful that the Earth Mother heard her petition and aided in the recovery of her friend. The other three eagerly rushed to check on Wolf, Lizard Priest and Dwarf Shaman gently patting his head while High Elf Archer too threw her arms around his neck hugging her friend although Priestess tried to caution her about Wolf’s bandages.

“You damn mongrel, I thought we’d lost you!”

“Wolf when we get back into town, I’m buying you the biggest steak I can find. Even Beardcutter will have to show some emotion when he sees this big guy up around.”

“With that said, we should rush to aid Milord Goblin Slayer, I worry about his injuries from these constant fights.”

Wolf’s ears could pick up the sounds of metal being struck by something, and then the crack of that awful whip. He looked around and could not find the armored man, he stood despite the protests of Priestess who tried to keep him still and shook his body. His neck and midsection covered in wrappings, his body still weak from the arrows and warg attack, but he could sense something was wrong.

“Wolf sit still, you’re in no shape to be moving around.”

Wolf barked twice before taking off at full speed, ignoring the sounds coming from his pack. Into the darkness he charged, the armored man drove back the warg, once again saving him, he would not allow this human to die.

“That damn beast really does take after Orcbolg in the worst possible was sometimes. Come on, we better get after him before those two end up killing themselves!”

Xxxx

The Goddess Illusion watched as the token, a warrior in armor, toppled over, still standing was the other game token, a man with a whip. She’d been deeply interested in the armored warrior, although there was nothing extremely special about him that would make him stand out compared to a hero, this one controlled his own movements. She found it more enjoyable to watch him decide his own decisions for himself and his party, and was delighted with the addition of the dire wolf. Now though, the token she had come to admire, seemed to be at death’s door.

_I told you, none can overcome truth._

She turned to see the God Truth sneering as he watched the battle below. He himself was at first intrigued by the token’s ability to change the fate of the dice roll by using his own wits, but as his adventures progressed he grew irritated, no matter how many challenges he added to Illusion’s game this one always found some way to overcome each and every obstacle. Now though, the introduction of a similar figure seemed to be the one element that would finally undo this warrior’s success.

_It is time. Roll the die._

Illusion sighed as she prepared to let the die roll, not even the gods could change the outcome of the die. Truth may be cruel, but he was right, the roll of the die would determine what the fate of this adventurer would be. Just as she allowed the die to fall, a large game piece appeared on the board, knocking the die out of the way. To both of the god’s surprise, the large token, a dire wolf, now stood between the whip wielding man and the armored man.

_No…not another one._

Illusion smiled as she looked at the tokens, the adventurers would decide their own fate, she and Truth could now only watch to see how things would truly end.

xxxx

“It may have been a mistake to wear that helmet boy, true it keep you from being knocked out, but it’s also prolonging your inevitable demise.” Beast Master struck the Goblin Slayer across the helmet once again, smiling as blood splashed on the floor.

Goblin Slayer was knocked back to the ground, he struggled to get back to his feet, only for the Beast Master’s whip to strike him along his injured side, blade still imbedded deep within his flesh. His helmet and armor were dented and cracked from the constant beating, still though he pushed himself back up. Beast Master found himself struggling to catch his breath, in spite of everything he did, this boy refused to cry out in pain.

“ _What kind of will does this boy…no, this Goblin Slayer have?_ ”

“Why won’t you die?” Beast Master once again lashed his whip toward Goblin Slayer, only for Goblin Slayer to raise his injured left arm and allow the whip to catch on that. “Damn you and your tenacity!”

Goblin Slayer grunted as he pulled on the whip wrapped around his left arm, this of course was a distraction which allowed him to reach behind his back and retrieve his southern throwing knife. With a quick movement he hurled the blade forward, the blade spinning as it flew forward before landing in Beast Master’s right shoulder, easily biting into his flesh and muscle only stopping once it hit bone. Beast Master cried out as he dropped his whip and club, stumbling backwards as he reached for the handle of the blade, tearing it out before angrily throwing the blade to the ground. Beast Master glared at Goblin Slayer who himself had collapsed to one knee, the sudden burst of adrenaline was gone and now his fatigue set in. With a final grunt, he too tore out the silvery dagger and tossed it to the side as he looked back at Beast Master.

“No matter what you do, you can’t beat me boy. With my age comes experience that outweighs your own, it’s clear that I’m stronger than you, and my techniques go beyond just thinking like a goblin!” Beast Master bent down to pick up the club in his left hand, even with only one useable arm it was clear he was in better condition to fight that Goblin Slayer. “Yet, you still intend to defy me, down to your last breath! So before you die tell me…what makes you different from me? Enlighten me boy and I’ll prove you wrong!”

Goblin Slayer struggled to get back to his feet, blood running from under his helmet and stab wound, but finally he stood tall, doing his best to keep his body from swaying or falling over.

“There are two big differences.”

“Oh? Go one then?”

“You and I have lost much to the goblins, but I didn’t let my vengeance turn me into an actual goblin.”

“What the hell are you blabbing about boy?”

“You grew resentful of the happiness others had and you had lost, this led you to take that from anyone and everyone. I may thinking like a goblin, just like you do, but I have not allowed myself to become a human goblin.”

“How dare you compare me to a goblin! You know nothing of the pain I went through!”

“True…I can only go off what I’ve experienced and it is clear to me that, even though I am younger than you, I came out of it stronger than you.”

Beast Master’s face twisted in rage as he walked toward Goblin Slayer, club in left hand he was prepared to beat this boy to death.

“Then before you die what the other thing that makes us different?”

“I have my friends to help me.” Immediately Goblin Slayer thought of those on the farm, at the guild hall and his own party members. “And one of them is a dire wolf.”

A large beast rushed past Goblin Slayer, snarling as it opened its wide jaws much to the surprise of Beast Master. Wolf sank it teeth into Beast Master’s left arm, knocking him to the ground before savagely shaking its head left and right. Beast Master screamed as he was forced to drop his club, he attempted to reach from the wolf’s snout with his right, but the arm was useless from the earlier injury. Wolf continued to shake its head, repositioning its teeth every time it bit down, until it finally tossed the body aside. Wolf growled as it examined the motionless body before returning to Goblin Slayer’s side. Goblin Slayer reached out with his right arm, and gave Wolf a pet along the top of its head.

“Thanks.”

“Goblin Slayer!”

Goblin Slayer and Wolf turned to find the rest of Goblin Slayer’s party and the rookie adventurers rushing to meet them. As the last of the adventurers past the downed warg, the beast finally opened its left eye to look at those around it, blood still spilling out from its body. Priestess made sure to place Goblin Slayer’s good arm around her shoulders in an effort to support the weakened warrior.

“Are you all alright?”

“Of all the things to ask Orcbolg, you’re in far worse shape than any of us…save that dumb Wolf of ours.”

“The moment he realized that you were not around, this critter rushed after you Beardcutter.”

“Are you okay Goblin Slayer that arm and stomach of yours look terrible and we’re out of spells.” Priestess frowned as she looked over his body, he looked as bad as the time he was struck by the goblin champion.

“I’ve been told that I’m a stubborn one.” Goblin Slayer looked toward the rest of his friends. ”Perhaps even too stubborn to die.”

The others were silent for a moment, before chuckling lightly as their leader’s foolish comment.

“It is good to see that your injuries have not affected your wit Milord Goblin Slayer.”

“Truly Beardcutter, you can be a foolish one.”

“I’m far from dead you damn fools!”

Everyone turned to see Beast Master back on his feet, his body stained in blood with his left arm dangling horridly from his left side, the damage from Wolf’s teeth evident to all. In his right hand, barely raised was a grenado, a wicked smile crossed his face as he snapped his fingers only to see the wick would not light. In a panic he continued to snap his fingers, but not matter what he did the wick would not light.

“It won’t light in the rain.”

Beast Master had a defeated look about his face as Goblin Slayer’s comment sank in, he allowed the grenado to drop to the ground, where it rolled off to the side. He looked back at the group of warriors, all of them were alive, the girls, the wolf, every one of them. He’d lost everything in a few short nights, while Goblin Slayer stood before him literally supported by comrades.

“Damn you! You’ll have to kill me, because I sure as hell have no intention of being taken prisoner.”

High Elf Archer raised her bow and readied an arrow to kill this horrible excuse of a man, but to her surprise, Goblin raised his left arm and motioned for her to stop. She looked toward him questioningly, but complied as she lowered her weapon.

“Do you expect me to thank you for your mercy? I thought you killed all goblins and aren’t I a “human goblin” ?”

“You are…but we are not your only enemy.”

As Beast Master questioned what he was saying when he heard the growl of another creature behind the adventurers. Everyone turned to see the warg back on its feet as it slowly stalked forward, Scar ignored those around him as its eye was focused on Beast Master before it. Beast Master instinctively reached for his whip on his right side despite the pain in his arm, but could not feel it anymore, he looked around and found it far off to the side. The realization of the missing whip hit him as he slowly started to back up, shaking his head as if he could not comprehend how all of his plans had fallen apart. He backed up as far as he could until he hit the edge of the overhang, he looked back at the darkness, at first a welcoming visage, but now cursing that there was nowhere left for him to run to.

“Like a true goblin, you are a coward at heart.”

“Sta…stay back! I command you!”

Scar snarled before charging forward, with jaws wide it slammed into the screaming Beast Master sinking its teeth into his neck. With a gurgle of blood, Beast Master and Scar tumbled over the edge, their bodies immediately swallowed up in the darkness. With Priestess’ help, Goblin Slayer made his way over toward the edge and looked over the side to confirm that the two were truly dead.

“So ends the terror of the Beast Master, wouldn’t you agree Milord Goblin Slayer?”

Goblin Slayer nodded before turning around to find Young Warrior running toward him with the weapons that Beast Master had been using.

“Mr. Goblin Slayer, I gathered up all the weapons that Beast Master dropped like his whip and the grenado. What should we do with them?”

Goblin Slayer moved away from Priestess as he took the bundled items from Young Warrior and examined them. He looked toward Wolf and the others before dumping the four weapons over the edge of the cliff.

“Why did you do that Orcbolg?”

“It’s a reminder of what I could have been.”

Wolf slowly limped over toward Goblin Slayer and carefully placed its head under its right hand. Goblin Slayer looked down toward the injured Wolf and gave him a gentle pat while nodding his head. With the Beast Master and his goblin army fully defeated, the weary adventurers slowly made their way back into the temple, Goblin Slayer’s party keeping a close eye on Goblin Slayer and Wolf as they were the most injured. High Elf Archer looked toward the injured dire wolf then back to Goblin Slayer and smiled while shaking her head.

“I tell you Wolf, that’s some master you have there.”

“I’m not his master.” Goblin Slayer’s response drew an inquisitive look from his party members. “I’m not anyone’s master.”

“What do you mean Goblin Slayer?” Priestess was concerned by the statement; was he planning to return to doing things alone, would he turn her away?

“The term “master” would indicate that others are not my equal.”

His response was indeed surprising, but soon everyone smiled as they followed behind this oddly dressed, goblin-obsessed, silver ranked adventurer. Priestess smiled happily knowing that even though Goblin Slayer was still teaching her, he did not see her as a burden. Just as they exited the Earth Mother Temple, the rain finally cleared and the sun shone brilliantly in the distance, with the threat gone now this region could return to its peaceful state…that is until the next goblin threat came.

**Author Note: Wow…this has been a bit of a long arc, but were near the end. I have one more chapter in mind to wrap up the loose ends. After the next chapter, I plan to go back an update my previous chapters, there’s been a ton on misspelled words, so now I can fix that now. That and I can think of what the next arc will be. I’m going to keep this story going for as long as I can. Thank you all for your favs and reviews.**


	16. Chapter 16

“Thanks.”

Priestess sighed as she finished wrapping Goblin Slayer’s injured side and set his broken arm within a sling. Thankfully the rest of the party members, save Wolf, managed to get away with minor injuries, with Lizard Priest, Rookie Mage and herself already recovering from their prior injuries. The ride back to town was quiet, everyone could see the smoke from the smoldering buildings, but it was beginning to thin. Inside the town, the soldiers proceeded to remove the goblin corpses, townspeople were tending to damages to property and the adventurers celebrated their victories. The moment the wagon was back at the guild hall, the party disembarked only to be approached by the panic-stricken Mayor and furious Guild Manager.

“Where did you disappear to in the middle of the chaos?”

“What of the goblins? What of Beast Master?”

The party walked past the two men, both were shocked by their actions, but one look at them also told them that they had continued fighting all through the night. Goblin Slayer, supported by Priestess and High Elf Archer gave them a simple response as they entered the inn, thankfully undamaged during the previous night’s attack.

“Tomorrow. Just know the goblins have been dealt with.”

The Mayor and Guild Manager didn’t even raise a fuss as the dire wolf followed behind the injured warriors. The stairs creaked under the weight of the wolf, but no one in the inn dared stop these warriors, especially Goblin Slayer whose armor was still stained with blood. The rookie adventurers had gone to their own room, thanking the party once again before departing. Back in the men’s sleeping quarters, Priestess proceeded to turn down the bed for Goblin Slayer. 

“I think given your condition it would be best if you removed the armor Goblin Sla…”

The party turned to find Goblin Slayer slumped in the corner of the room, there was initial concern that he had collapsed from his injuries, but soon they heard the sound of his light snoring. Incredibly, Wolf was also fast asleep right beside Goblin Slayer, the dire wolf’s head resting upon Goblin Slayer’s lap.

“A boy and his dog, although I’ve never see a pairing such as Beardcutter and Wolf before.”

“They must have been completely exhausted.”

“Given all the damage Orcbolg and Wolf endured I’m not surprised.”

“I believe it would be wise if we too were to rest up, once were are refreshed we can tend to Milord Goblin Slayer and Wolf’s injuries.”

Goblin Slayer opened his eyes, his body still racked with pain, and took in the sight around him. Both High Elf Archer and Priestess lay asleep on his bed, to his left was the Dwarf Shaman asleep with his jug of fire wine beside him, a small smile on his face and close by the bed was Lizard Priest sleeping upon a pile of blankets given how his tail would get in the way of the bed. He tried to move, but soon realized that Wolf was sleeping upon his lap, his movements stirred the dire wolf who looked back at Goblin Slayer. Goblin Slayer gave the dire wolf a gentle pat upon its head before slowly standing up, Wolf looked up though still laying on the floor.

“Rest…I will return soon.”

Wolf laid its head down still watching the armored warrior who quietly exited out the door. Once gone, Wolf gave a yawn, checking around to see the rest of its pack sleeping comfortably, then closed its eyes and fell back to sleep.

Goblin Slayer descended down the stairs, the tavern was empty, and as he exited the inn saw the night sky and the bright green and red moon high above. Instinctively he walked around Mountain Pass, checking the damage from the attack and seeing if there was any goblin activity. Around the town, armed guards made their rounds, initially cautious on the armored adventurer, but as soon as they saw the guild tag, allowed him to continue his investigation.

“You look pretty beat up, did those stupid little beasts get the jump on you?” This first guard was rather heavy set as he leaned against his spear to support his tired body.

“No.”

“I would hope not, I mean to think that there were some adventurers who were killed by the goblins, the Guild must really be lowering its standards if those weaklings were allowed to join then get killed off by the weakest of all monsters.” The second guard was a younger, fit individual who spit to the side before turning back to Goblin Slayer.

“That was my thought too. These little things are too stupid to be any real threat, hell the only reason they were able to do what they did was because they were following that damn Beast Master.”

“Right and look at how the Beast Master failed so miserably, a human who thinks like a goblin is just as stupid, his only saving grace was the fact that he wasn’t a real goblin.”

“He was a goblin.”

The two guards looked at Goblin Slayer as if he was crazy, Goblin Slayer remained motionless as he looked back at the guards who then broke out into a fit of laughter.

“That’s a good one…a human goblin!”

“You adventurers are a riot. In all seriousness though, these goblins, both real and “human”, are no real threat. This just proves that it was a fluke, a onetime thing that was doomed from the start, how any person could think that an army of goblins would conquer a town like this is hilarious. He would have been better off slinging his own shit at people than relying on goblins to do his bidding.”

“Is that so?”

“Damn right it is! Now go on and get out of here, we can’t spend the rest of the night laughing.”

The two guards chuckled as they moved on, Goblin Slayer watched them until they rounded a corner and were now out of sight. He stood there for a moment, looking to his left and right before too continuing on his quest to inspect the town. As he walked about the town, the words of Beast Master rang in his head.

“ _No one cares about inferior monsters…this town has always been like this… adventurers won’t get involved if the word “goblins” is thrown around…their weak and stupid creatures, there’s no fun…people are selfish and cruel, they really are no different than goblins._ ”

Halfway through his inspection his encountered three more guards whose conversation was almost identical to what he heard the other two mention. In a way, Beast Master was right, even after all that had happened only a day ago, no one seemed to give it a second thought. People did not see the threat that goblins posed, if he and his party had not been there, would the town have still be saved…would any of these people even be alive? Did his presence and advice even help repel this goblin attack?

“If you begin to doubt yourself, the others will be lost.”

Goblin Slayer paused and turned to his right, near a tall tree stood a beautiful visage of a woman, she appeared to be older than the Sword Maiden but was still a striking beauty to any that would lay eyes upon her. This beauty was barefoot, a green gown, almost appearing to be made of leaves, covered her ample form, her long blonde hair gently swaying in the night breeze, a wreath of flowers adorned her head as her bright blue eyes took in the sight of the Goblin Slayer. Goblin Slayer looked at this woman and noticed a faint glow about her, he was unsure as to classify her as a human or possibly an elf, yet she lacked the long ears like the ranger in his group.

“Rest assured my Goblin Slayer, I am very real and am not a goblin.” A bright smile crossed her face as she invited the strange man to join her under the tree.

Goblin Slayer was hesitant but soon walked forward, still bold in his stride, until he stood beneath the tree with this odd woman.

“You know, it is frowned upon for us to show favoritism to mortals, but I’d like to think of this as a way of saying thanks for you protecting my little one.”

The woman placed her hand upon Goblin Slayer’s chest, a bright light surrounded Goblin Slayer, and then as quickly as it appeared it vanished. Goblin Slayer no longer felt the fatigue he had earlier then examined his arm to find he could move it freely with no pain, checking his right side, he could see the wound had healed itself.

“Thank you.” His voice flat and emotionless as normal, but he did make sure to nod his head in approval.

“In time, she too will be able to perform such powerful miracles, but she still has a long way to get there. I must say though, I do wish you would not always have her use her miracles for such dreadful things.”

“If it helps keep others safe, then I would recommend she continue to use them against the goblins.”

The strange woman frowned upon hearing Goblin Slayer’s answer, but eventually sighed and smiled as she realized that this was as close to a compromise as she was going to get. She nodded her head in approval before gracefully sitting down upon the grass, then looked back toward Goblin Slayer and invited him to sit and join her. Goblin Slayer stood there silently before joining the woman on the grass, the two looking out at the town.

“There is no need to second guess yourself, had it not been for your thinking ahead, this town would have been lost. Your adventures with your party meant they could warn others in the tactics the goblins used and how best to be prepared for them. What the Beast Master said about this town is very true, but you are not the Beast Master.”

“I could easily have become that man.”

“If not for the guidance of your master, the Burglar, not to mention the proper support of your friend on the farm and that young one at the guild. Every person wonders about how things could have been different from the good to the bad, but there is no going back and changing that. It was a rough start for you, but look at all the good you’ve done, the lives you’ve saved and the companions, no friends, you’ve made. You know wolves, do you really believe that Wolf would have come to follow and protect you if he didn’t fully trust you.”

“All I did remove his bindings.”

“Exactly my boy, would any other adventurers have even given it a moment’s thought as you had?”

Goblin Slayer was silent as he thought about what this strange woman was saying. Suddenly he felt a weight upon his left shoulder and turned to find this woman now leaning against him, her head upon his shoulder, eyes closed and a smile upon her face.

“You could always settle down and start a family of your own. There are several beauties who’ve had their eye on you for some time now. You’ve been fighting for more than six years now, maybe it’s time to rest and enjoy yourself. I know your sister would say that you’ve done more than enough.”

“I can’t.”

The woman sat up to look at Goblin Slayer, no longer smiling, a look of worry and concern written across her face as she studied him.

“Though I have my com…friends with me, I am far from being considered a normal person. This life I’ve chosen is a bloody one…I don’t want to promise any of them something I can’t keep. I am aware that it is an impossible goal I’ve set for myself, but until I’m dead or the goblins are finally dealt with, I will continue down this path. I will protect those who need it. This way I am sure that no other person has to endure the suffering my family went through.”

The strange woman looked at him with the same concerned face, but soon smiled as she nodded her head in approval of his answer.

“It is for that reason why those who are with you, both here and those waiting for your return, will continue to follow you, to the ends of the earth if need be. Even we can’t see what the future holds, but I can at least see that if you hold true to the morals you’ve set for yourself, your friends will be there to help you be successful.”

Goblin Slayer nodded his head before he noticed the bright light of the rising sun, he stood shielding his eyes from the brightness then turned to offer a hand to help this strange woman stand but found that she had disappeared. He looked around to his left and right before turning and walking back to the inn to check on the rest of his party members. He walked into his room to find Priestess using her Heal miracle on Wolf, the dire wolf now fully healed himself stood and shook its body before turning toward Goblin Slayer with tail wagging.

“Goblin Slayer! Where did you go? Why isn’t your arm in that sling?”

“Orcbolg where were you, we were worried sick!”

“I didn’t want to wake any of you…sorry.”

“Forget that Beardcutter, where did you go off to?”

“I decided to walk around the town to check for any goblin activity.”

“Surely with all we’ve done these past few days, there would be no further actions from the goblins Milord Goblin Slayer.”

“I’m always checking.”

“But your injuries Goblin Slayer, like Wolf you shouldn’t be up around.”

“My injuries have been healed.”

“What…by who?”

“I met a woman near a large tree. She healed me.”

Immediately both High Elf Archer and Priestess gasped as there was a slight flush crossed their faces, while Dwarf Shaman smiled all the while stroking his bead.

“Wh, who was this woman?”

“Yeah Orcbolg, where did this wo, woman get to and what did you two do?”

“We spoke under a tree. She healed me as a form of thanks for watching over you and asked that I not always have you use your miracles for dealing with goblins.”

Priestess was at a loss for words, this woman who had healed him knew about her and her use of miracles…could it be?

“So…you two just spoke Beardcutter? Is that all? You’re not with holding any good details are you?”

“Dwarf be quite for a moment! So Orcbolg, you two just spoke and nothing more? You’re telling us the truth yes?”

“That’s all we did.”

“Earth Mother…you met the Earth Mother?!?”

All eyes fell upon Priestess who was in a state of shock then looked back to Goblin Slayer who remained motionless.

“I don’t know. She never identified herself. Regardless, let’s gather our things and get ready to depart, our work here is finished.”

As always, Goblin Slayer’s no-nonsense attitude was difficult to deal with at times, but he at least told them the truth of the matter. The others sighed as they went to work gathering their materials, it had been a long few days here, but with the battle over they could rest easy knowing that their reward awaited them back in Water Town and they had a couple days off when they returned home. With everything gathered, they made their way down and out of the inn where they were immediately greeted by the Mayor and Guild Manager.

“Goblin Slayer, is it really over? Has the Beast Master been defeated?”

“Or did you let him go? Was he too much for you and your party?”

High Elf Archer growled angrily at Guild Manager, this arrogant man was humiliating them, but was held back Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest who too shared in her frustration. Priestess stood by Wolf but was only looking at Goblin Slayer to see how he would react.

“Beast Master was killed by his warg, and his companion was killed by her own magic.”

“So then we really didn’t need your help then?”

This time it was Wolf who growled angrily at this man taking a couple steps forward making both Mayor and Guild Manager back away. Goblin Slayer held out his left hand and gently tapped Wolf on the back, the dire wolf moved into a sitting position and looked up at the armored warrior.

“You’re free to believe what want. Be sure that those that died are given a decent burial…you owe them that much.”

Goblin Slayer and Wolf walked past the two men, making their way to the wagon they commandeered last night. While the two men were left speechless, the rest of his party followed behind their leader, not giving these two deplorable men a moment of their time. Goblin Slayer and his party proceeded to load up the cart when they heard a young voice call out to them.

“Goblin Slayer sir!”

The Party turned to see Young Warrior and his party there with bright smiling faces.

“Before you leave, we wanted to thank you for everything. I…I don’t think I can devote me life to just hunting goblins like you, but I now know the true danger they can pose, especially in a horde. So you can bet I’ll keep pushing myself until I too reach the rank of silver.”

“Thank you for rescuing me.”

“Indeed, thank you all for what you’ve done.”

The three young adventurers bowed their heads in respect before running off back to the guild, Goblin Slayer’s party was overjoyed to be thanked by the young ones, completely removing the foul feeling they had from their conversation with the Guild Manager. Only Goblin Slayer’s reaction was hidden away behind his helmet, but Priestess imagined that he too was smiling at the gratitude from the others. Once on board, Dwarf Shaman and Priestess riding at the front, the wagon got under way, leaving the town of Mountain Pass making its way to Water Town to meet up with Sword Maiden.

“I tell you all, that damn fool was one step away from me using Stone Blast on him!”

“In the time it takes you cast a spell I could have easily put a couple arrows in him.”

“Perhaps I should have summoned a Dragon Tooth Warrior to haunt him.”

“I’m surprised by that Scaly, usually you’re the more mature of us?”

“What do you mean by that, need I remind you that I am 2000 years old?”

“Like I was saying Scaly, you’re usually the mature of us.”

Priestess giggled at the comments then looked back to see Goblin Slayer sitting in the back with his arms crossed, Wolf close by him as usual.

“What about you Orcbolg, surely that pompous ass was getting to you too right?”

“None of what he was saying mattered.” Goblin Slayer was stoic as ever as he looked out the back of the wagon at the passing scenery then looked back to his party and added his final comment in his usual manner. “He wasn’t worth the effort.”

“Now that sounds more like you Orcbolg.”

Goblin Slayer was silent once again as he looked toward Wolf who returned the gaze before moving its head under his hand, the rest of his party was busy talking with one another or interested in the changing scenery.

“Thank you.”

Everyone turned toward Goblin Slayer, not sure if they heard what they thought they heard.

“Thank you for all you’ve done to help me this over this year.”

The others smiled as they looked at Goblin Slayer, clearly this quest had Goblin Slayer thinking about himself and his relationship with Beast Master. The battle was over and the group could take solace in the knowledge that so long as they had each other to rely on, none of them would have to worry about going down a darker path than what was laid before them. From the edge of the woods, the woman who had spoken with Goblin Slayer smiled as she watched them travel off, she herself praying for their success in future quests before vanishing from sight. Priestess thought she had seen this woman as the wagon rolled on, but when she looked back could not find her among the trees.

“O Earth Mother, continue to watch us and guide us.” Priestess smiled as she returned to conversing with her party members, knowing that even if she couldn’t see the Earth Mother, she at least knew that she was making sure observe them at all times.

**Author’s Note: This should now conclude the Beast Master Arc, so now comes the hard part of thinking of the next parts for the Goblin Slayer Party. I have some ideas either centering around Dwarf Shaman or Lizard Priest, the introduction of a new Party member or members depending on how the story plays out, an adventure involving Heavy Warrior and Female Knight requiring Goblin Slayer’s help, and possibly the introduction of another dire wolf, a female one at that. These possible ideas (nothing definite yet) will not all be in the same story, I’d plan to introduce parts of each in smaller arcs. Thanks for your patience and support, see you guys soon.**


	17. Chapter 17

After seven long days on the road, camping by night to rest the horses, Goblin Slayer and his party finally returned to Water Town. At the Temple of Law, the group disembarked and proceeded to enter to make their report directly to the Sword Maiden, but to their surprise found Guild Girl and Cow Girl there conversing with Sword Maiden. The three women turned as the sound of footsteps and were delighted to see Goblin Slayer and his party finally returning.

“Goblin Slayer!”

“My dear Goblin Slayer!”

“You’re back!”

“The quest is completed, we’ve returned.”

“Welcome home…or rather welcome back, we’re not home yet.”

“I see.”

High Elf Archer and Priestess rushed to greet their friends, while the men and Wolf casually walked to catch up with the rest of them.

“This is quite the welcome, what brings you all here this fine day?” Lizard Priest smiled as he bowed his head toward the ladies before him.

Cow Girl and Guild Girl looked at one another as if they had been caught doing something they weren’t supposed to have done, then turned back toward the others, mostly looking at Goblin Slayer.

“We were concerned, you had been gone for so long this time.”

“We only knew you were dealing with this quest, we just hadn’t expected it to take you so far away from us.”

“Is that so?”

“Fortunately, they were both nice enough to converse with me and tell me all about your exploits.”

“I see.”

Externally the three women were delighted to have met each other, but internally each grew nervous of the others intentions with Goblin Slayer.

“ _Just look at her, she might as well be a goddess! So mature, a cloth that barely covers her beautiful form and she’s also an adventurer! I thought my only competition was Guild Girl, I had no idea he was also interacting with someone like her._ ”

“ _He never mentioned how stunning the Sword Maiden was! I’m only able to see him as he comes and goes from the guild hall. His friend on the farm lives with him and I’ve always been a bit jealous of that, but now should I also be worrying when he’s called out here too?_ ”

“ _Look at these two, so young and beautiful! I don’t even know what I truly look like anymore, would he even be attracted to someone like me? How infuriating that one gets to see him every time he comes and goes on his goblin quests and the other is living with him like his w…w…wife!_ ”

“My dear Goblin Slayer, I am overjoyed to find that you and your party have returned unharmed from your quest.”

Before Goblin Slayer could even answer both Priestess and High Elf Archer stepped in to answer for him.

“Knowing Orcbolg, he would never admit it, but both he and Wolf endured the most damage on this quest unfortunately.”

There was a look of concern and worry among the three women’s faces, and soon enough Priestess added her own details about the seriousness of Wolf’s condition. Recalling the memory of how serious Wolf’s injuries were was difficult for her, but she could at least take comfort in the fact that Wolf and Goblin Slayer were still both beside her.

“Wolf…nearly died during our last encounter. Poisoned and badly injured, he continued to fight on and defend us. Thankfully Goblin Slayer thought ahead and instructed us on how to save Wolf.”

Cow Girl and Guild Girl both looked toward Wolf, who curiously turned his head to the side as it looked back at them. Instantly Cow Girl rushed forward and hugged the large dire wolf, tears present in the corner of her eyes.

“I don’t even want to think about the possibility of losing this big guy.”

“Nor do I.” Guild Girl walked toward Wolf and gently patted his head.

Wolf was not sure why they were acting so friendly, but he of course did not mind the attention, as he happily wagged his tail. Both girls then looked toward Goblin Slayer rather angrily which made the armored warrior jerk backwards from their expressions.

“How could you not tell us you were badly injured Goblin Slayer?”

“You were even going to keep Wolf’s injuries a secret too weren’t you?” Cow Girl still hugging the large wolf.

“I didn’t think I needed to say anything…sorry.”

“You’ll be making up for this one for quite a while Beardcutter.”

“I am glad to see you are both well my dear Goblin Slayer, I’m surprised that you both appear to have recovered from your injuries. I trust our Earth Mother acolyte was able to heal you.”

“Wolf was healed by her, but I encountered a woman in Mountain Pass who healed my injuries.”

The moment Goblin Slayer mentioned another woman, all three immediately gasped, a slight blush visible upon their faces. Both High Elf Archer and Priestess sighed in defeat, surely Goblin Slayer was not so dense as to know that mentioning another woman would infuriate those infatuated with him. Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest could only chuckle silently to themselves while Goblin Slayer looked at the three women curiously.

“What woman!”

As if on cue, all three asked the same question both angrily and with curiosity. Goblin Slayer still oblivious as to the reason they were so mad, it was the same as when he mentioned this woman to High Elf Archer and Priestess back in Mountain Pass.

“She never told me what she was called. We spoke about the goblins, she thanked me for watching over the girl and healed my injuries.”

The three women looked at him suspiciously before nodding their heads in approval, they had known him long enough to he wouldn’t do anything so shameless with someone he just met.

“If nothing else, I am glad that you are uninjured my dear Goblin Slayer.”

“As am I Goblin Slayer.”

“And I’m glad that Wolf is okay too.”

Goblin Slayer nodded his head yet paused as the thought of his discussion with that woman, he looked back at the smiling women and remembered what he needed to do.

“Before I give my report…I wanted to thank you all for your support, guidance and advice.”

The women were surprised by his comment, but soon smiled at his unusual response. Sword Maiden did not know him as long as the others, but like both Guild Girl and Cow Girl, could tell this was out of character for him.

“The Beast Master was attempting to use an army of goblins to take the town due to a personal grudge. He lost his family to goblins and blamed the villagers for not helping him, he found a female partner who aided him in his plan. He knew the people wouldn’t react to goblins and hoped that would be enough…he hadn’t counted on our party being there.”

“His partner, Fallen Magician, was a former adventurer who was caught by the goblins on her first adventure and like Beast Master, blamed others for not warning her about the true horror of goblins.” Priestess thought for a moment how close she herself could have ended up like Fallen Magician if not for Goblin Slayer.

The women were concerned to hear about these two people whose twisted sense of revenge led them to use goblins to harm people who had nothing to do with their past tragedies. Sword Maiden, like Priestess, could recall her own torture at the hands of the goblins, even after fifteen years the thought of its still terrified her. Goblin Slayer turned and began to walk away from the group, much to the surprise of everyone around him followed only by Wolf.

“Where you going?” Cow Girl called out as her friend continued away from the others.

“My weapon was lost during the battle, I’m going to buy a new one.” Goblin Slayer stopped in his tracks silently staring forward, still keeping his back to the others. “I will return shortly.”

Goblin Slayer and Wolf continued through the temple, for the rest of his party they too could see the similarities between him and Beast Master. Cow Girl, Guild Girl and Sword Maiden could only guess what was going through their minds, that is until Dwarf Mage could see their confusion and sought to enlighten them.

“This last quest may have affected Beardcutter more deeply than anyone of could have imagined. He glimpsed a possible path he could have taken if he had the same thought process as Beast Master.”

“This Beast Master…he lost everything to goblins too?” Cow Girl thought back to the lost village, her parents, his older sister, all gone that evening she left with her uncle.

“That’s what we gathered from our conversation with Fallen Magician, both let their tragedy consume them.”

“She also mentioned that Orcbolg must have also gone through such a tragedy himself. He’s never told us anything about his past, could you help us fill in the gaps?”

Guild Girl had a pretty good idea of what happened based on her earlier conversation when discussing why goblins did what they did, but he never fully admitted to it. Cow Girl had been there that day as well, she remembered the empty coffins that represented her lost parents and for five longs years though she had lost him too. With a sigh, Cow Girl started to tell them everything she knew or gathered over these last six years.

“More than ten years ago, our village was attacked by the goblins. I had gone with my uncle to help with the birth of a baby cow…we had a big fight that day right before I left. We I came back, everything was gone, there were no bodies to properly bury. You know that spot where the training site is, that used to be the location of our village.”

There was a look of shock as they heard this, they were there the day it and the newest adventurers were attacked by the goblins. Goblin Slayer didn’t even mention anything about this as they helped train the newest adventurers.

“From what I’ve gathered, he was the only survivor, he hid for three days while the goblins plundered our village. His sister did not survive, he would mention that he saw everything those little beasts did from start to finish.”

Silence filled the room, none of them had any idea that this is what shaped Goblin Slayer into the person he was. This could explain the instability they had seen the first time they had gone on a quest with him into the forgotten Elven fortress to face the ogre. All they had known was that he had been adventuring by himself over the last five years before he had Priestess join him.

“Then it’s thanks to all of you that he has avoided the same path of the Beast Master.”

The words of wisdom came from Sword Maiden who could only smile as she looked over everyone before her.

“You who have been his connection to his past and support at home, you who have been watching over him and guiding him over his six years at the guild, and the four of you, no I’m mistaken, five of you that have adventured with him. Without you all, he would have surely lost all sense of who he was.”

Everyone looked at one another and smiled, to here this from the hero who had helped defeat the Demon Lord, it was indeed high praise. For High Elf Archer she could now think back to her thoughts after the demon incident and say to herself that they had saved Orcbolg. Cow Girl had a thought, she conferred with Guild Girl, before turning toward Sword Maiden.

“Sword Maiden, before we depart, we thought it would be a good idea for us to have a big dinner to celebrate everyone’s success, would you please join us?”

Sword Maiden was surprised by the request, then smiled as she nodded her head toward everyone before her.

“Normally I’m not allowed out without escort, but this is a special occasion, so I will gladly join you all for a delicious feast.”

As Goblin Slayer returned with new sword, he was greeted by the others who told him about their plans for dinner, reluctant to join at first, he was quickly convinced to join with them. That evening, everyone laughed and talked the night away as they enjoyed their meal, even Goblin Slayer had a light smile under his helmet. They spent the night there in the Temple of Law and departed in two carts the following morning. Sword Maiden thanked them once again, personally given them their reward for dealing with Beast Master and his goblins and wishing them well on their future quests. Away the party went back to Frontier Town, fortunately by the time they would get back they had two days off before their next quest would be available, but little did any of them know that the gods were already planning for the next quest ahead of them.

xxxx

Far to the north, amongst the ice and snow a large doe scrapped along the ground to expose the grass near the stream. The sky was over cast with light snowfall, yet the wind blew constantly, but for this heavy doe the biting cold was not bothering it at all. Suddenly the deer’s ears heard the crunch of snow around it, it looked up but saw nothing among the snow, just three large trees nearby. It continued to feed upon the grass when it heard the crunch of feet upon the snow once again. It looked up cautiously looking left and right but still could not see anything among the snow.

There near one of the large trees she crouched in the snow, her fur white as the snow around it, the only thing visible for those who were paying attention was her black nose and her bright blue eyes. Once the deer went back to eating the grass, she was ready to pounce, but now it was her turn to hear something. Both animals looked back to see three goblins rush forward, the doe instinctively took off while the white dire wolf growled as the goblins approached, but stopped as a new scent was carried over the wind…the smell of something rotting. The dire wolf stopped its growling and crouched low to the ground as she watched the group come over the hill behind the goblins. 

A large figure, standing nearly three meters tall, shrouded in black, save its exaggerated golden crown, marched forward, but behind it were a couple dozen creatures of different race. There were elves, men, dwarves and goblins, male and female, but the one thing they all had in common was the diseased look about them. These creatures were covered in horrible wounds, bloody spittle hanging from their mouths, their yellow pupil-less eyes not capable of seeing anything, and yet they were focused on the goblins before them. The large figure raised its hands, its elongated fingers, covered by grey skin that seemed to have been dehydrated, pointed toward the goblins and instantly icicles flew forward hitting the three goblins in the back and legs, dropping them to the ground.

“You’re no use to me alive.” The voice was feminine and just as cold as the snow around her, yet her breath was not visible in the cold air.

The undead creatures descended upon the still living goblins and began to bite into their flesh, their screams echoing in the surrounding area. The dire wolf’s instinct told her to stay motionless, so as not to draw any attention to herself. She watched and heard as the rotting creature fed upon the injured goblins, until the large figure in black called the creatures back. The creatures stood and stumbled back toward their master, leaving the half eaten goblin corpses behind, but in mere moments the goblins began to thrash about and finally stood with a moan of indifference as they too walked to join the horde.

“We return to the castle.”

The tall women in black moved forward and behind her the horde of the undead followed. Once the horde was out of sight and she could no longer smell their retched stink in the air, the dire wolf finally moved away from the tree and looked back at the direction they had come from. Suddenly, over the howling wind, she could hear the moans of the creatures only they were now louder and there were much more than what she had heard before. She turned and ran in the direction the doe had gone, wanting to get as far away from the evil area as possible. For the dwarves in their fortress who were gathering supplies and inspecting weapons, the cries of the undead were unsettling, but it confirmed their suspicions about their missing brethren.

“You hear that?”

“I hear them clear as day. What a terrifying sound.”

“I think you’d best contact your nephew, have him gather his party to aid us, if the undead are beginning to gather and in such numbers it can only mean one undeniable fact…the lich queen is here.”


	18. Chapter 18

Priestess had fallen to her knees, teeth chattering, sound staff shaking and the embarrassing warmness that pooled between her legs evident to her as she watched the horror unfold around her. The Guild Hall was stained red from the blood bath, her friends lay dead around her in various states of trauma. 

Near the door way lay the body of Lizard Priest, his head and right arm missing from its body; close by the over turned tables was the lower half of the Dwarf Shaman. Sprawled across the front desk was Guild Girl, her face completely torn away as well and large chunks of flesh missing from all over her body, the only way to identify her was her telltale hair style. In front of the front desk was Cow Girl, she appeared to be sitting with her back against the wall, but her head hung low and blood spilled from her mouth; a vacant stare in her eyes that seemed to be looking at the large hole where her stomach should have been. Lastly in front of Priestess was the twitching body of High Elf Archer, only moving because of the creature feasting on her entrails. The creature, down on its hand and knees, continued to bite and rip at her stomach, smacking its lips as it chewed on the viscera.

“N…no…please stop…”

The creature turned its head toward the frightened Priestess, its red glowing eye visible behind its helmet. The creature stood and Priestess could see that it was a man in dirty leather armor with a shield attached to its left arm, his usual sword missing from its scabbard. The lower piece of its helmet was missing, easily exposing its blood stained teeth as it moaned while lurching toward Priestess.

“Gob…Goblin Slayer…” Tears rans down her face as the creature placed its hand on her shoulders and growled before moving forward to bite her neck.

Xxxx

“Noooo!”

Priestess sat up in bed, quickly checking her surroundings, body and neck, all the while she continued to gasp for air as she tried to calm herself. Once she realized that she was back in her room and the event was only a dream, she started to relax, but became aware that in her fear she truly had wet herself. Embarrassed by her actions, she moved to wash herself and gather her bedding to wash it before the others would be out and ask what she was doing. By the time her bedding was hung out to dry, she could already hear the busy chatter of people both inside and outside the Guild Hall. It had been a few days since they had returned, today and tomorrow were their off days which meant they could at least rest before the next quest, but knowing Goblin Slayer he would still inquire about the goblins.

“Goblin Slayer.”

The image in her dream dwelled within her, Goblin Slayer as one of the undead feasting upon her friends was indeed unsettling, however it was only a dream. She soon returned to her room to dress more appropriately then proceeded to get some breakfast down in the dining hall. There she found the rest of her party members already enjoying themselves.

“Good morning!” High Elf Archer full of energy as she happily ate her bowl of fruit.

“Indeed what a fine morning it is, and one that should be restful for all of us.” Lizard Priest too happily ate his meat and cheese.

“But hold on a moment, you look as though you had a rough night, everything okay lass?”

“It’s nothing really, just a bad…”

She suddenly felt a heavy hand upon her right shoulder, and as she turned saw a figure in dirty leather armor looking down at her. All of a sudden, the recollection of her nightmare came back in full force, before he or anyone else could say anything, she screamed.

“Nooooo! Stay away from me!”

She pulled away from him and found herself trying to catch her breath. Her actions drew the attention of everyone around them, the tavern, usually so loud you could barely hear your own conversation, was now so quiet you could hear a pin drop. She soon was able to recollect herself and realized what she had said and done just now.

“Understood.”

Goblin Slayer turned and started off toward the blacksmith shop followed by Wolf. Priestess stretched out her arm to call him back, but could only hang her head in shame as they disappeared down the stairs.

“What in the world was that about? Did you and Orcbolg get into some kind of disagreement?”

“No…I just did something very foolish and rude.”

“So what happened then, you looked as though you had seen a monster.”

“I…had a dream…a plague of the undead…everyone was lost…killed by Goblin Slayer…as he feasted upon everyone. Seeing him just now brought back all those terrible memories, but it was only a dream, I shouldn’t have acted that way.”

“It would be easy to mistake him for an undead given his appearance.” Lizard Priest mused over the idea as a way of easing the tension.

“I still need to apologize to him though.”

“I wouldn’t worry, Orcbolg isn’t the type of person to be offended that easily. Let’s finish up breakfast, then we can meet up with Orcbolg afterwards.”

Priestess sighed but nodded as she and the others continued to eat as the rest of the tavern group went about their business. Soon enough Guild Girl walked in looking around the adventurers until she found Goblin Slayer’s party.

“Good morning everyone, I could have sworn I heard some kind of commotion from in here a few moments ago.”

Priestess frowned as she looked down at the table, making Guild Girl turn her head curiously at the site; fortunately the rest of her party were quick to change the subject.

“What brings you here today? Did you care to join us?”

“As much as I would love to, I still have quite a bit of work to tend to.” Guild Girl then reached into her pocket and retrieved a letter addressed to Dwarf Shaman. “With that said, this came in for you.”

Dwarf Shaman graciously took the letter and broke the wax seal to begin reading the contents.

“It’s from my uncle.”

“Isn’t he the one who put you in contact with us?” High Elf Archer dipped her bread within her porridge before looking back at the dwarf.

“Quite correct Long-Ears, he departed the moment he realized that both you and Scaly were the elf and lizardman I was to meet with. I haven’t heard from him since we were assigned that task of dealing with the goblins near your home.”

“I do hope all is well for your family then.” Lizard Priest smiled as he bit into his wheel of cheese.

Dwarf Shaman continued reading and his initial smile changed to a frown then to a look of worry as he continued reading on. His friends at the table took notice and were now concerned with what had caused such a sudden reaction.

“Is everything alright?” Guild Girl was obviously concerned for her adventurer’s, especially one she had come to associate with quite frequently.

“Lass…what was that dream you had last night?”

“My dream…the one about the undead…the plague that affected Gob…that affected him.”

“That may not have been just a dream, but perhaps a warning of things to come. My uncle is requesting our assistance in dealing with a possible lich and an army of the undead.”

Lizard Priest, High Elf Archer and Guild Girl were shocked by his comments, but Priestess was white as a sheet as she heard him mention the army of the undead, in that moment, her dream seemed all too real now. At that moment, Goblin Slayer and Wolf were coming back up the steps from the blacksmith shop, he was ready to head back outside until Guild Girl called out to him.

“Goblin Slayer!”

Goblin Slayer paused to look at them, then nodded his head before making his way back to his party.

“Where were you off to just now?”

“I came to get my replacement armor, the last set was badly damaged in the fight with Beast Master. I was asked to stay away so I was going to head back out.”

“Why were you asked to stay away?”

Priestess once again hung her head, feeling very silly for what she had said to Goblin Slayer, while High Elf Archer sighed in frustration at the thought of Orcbolg taking the Priestess’ comment so seriously.

“That’s not important now, Beardcutter I received a summons for our party to take on an urgent quest.”

“Is it goblins?”

Dwarf Shaman thought for a moment, would Beardcutter actually participate with this quest. True he had gone with them on the quest to help the Dog-Faced Padfoot village, but had turned them down last year when dealing with the evil sect before the Fall Festival. He would have to take that gamble and explain the situation and hope Beardcutter would join them.

“Not goblins, the undead are moving in the north, the work of a lich in the area.”

“So it isn’t goblins?” Goblin Slayer rested his finger upon his chin as he thought about what was told to him.

It was only a few moments, but for the rest of the party it felt like an eternity as Goblin Slayer pondered over whether he would join them or not, and if he didn’t join would Priestess also decline? Could they convince him if he refused?

“When do we leave?”

The reply came as a shock to everyone there in the tavern; Spearman and Witch had been listening since the young girl’s earlier outburst and were waiting to see how this odd adventurer would react to something that was not goblin related.

“Beardcutter.”

“You’ve helped me with the goblins, so I can help you. What is it the Ranger says…an adventure for an adventure.”

High Elf Archer smiled brilliantly at the response that came from Orcbolg as did Guild Girl who was happy to see him taking the initiative to help out his friends.

“I’ll trust the goblin quests to you.” Goblin Slayer turned toward Guild Girl with a nod.

“Rest assured Goblin Slayer, I will entrust the quests to capable groups while you are away.”

“Hey Dwarf!”

The shout came from Spearman who walked toward Goblin Slayer’s party along with his partner Witch.

“You got any room on this quest for some extra hands?” Spearman smiled as he gently smacked his fist against Goblin Slayer’s chest plate before turning his attention back toward the dwarf. “If this one’s going on a none-goblin quest, I want to see this!”

“As…would I.”

“The more the merrier. The sooner we get this lich taken care of, the sooner we can get Beardcutter back to his goblins.”

“With that said, hey you two!” Spearman turned to his left toward Apprentice Cleric and Rookie Warrior who were in the middle of eating their bowls of oatmeal. “You in?”

“Who us?” Rookie Warrior at a complete loss as he looked around left and right checking to see if Spearman meant some other adventurers.

“We’re still porcelain, I doubt we’d be much help to you.” Apprentice Cleric added while shaking her head vigorously.

“It’s that kind of attitude that is going to keep you at the porcelain level, besides we all know how you helped out the other rookies at the training grounds. So come already!”

“You can find someone better! What about that big guy and the girl knight?” Rookie Warrior still trying to dissuade Spearman from recruiting them.

“Both went to his village along with the rest of their party to deal with so kind of problem. No more excuses, come on with us.”

Apprentice Cleric and Rookie Warrior looked toward one another, still unsure of themselves and wondering why Spearman would be asking for their assistance. Suddenly, both felt heavy hands upon their shoulders and looked up to see Dwarf Shaman smiling back at them.

“I’m asking for your help. You’ve both proven yourselves before, and I wouldn’t be asking if I knew you couldn’t carry your own weight. Now, no more rats for you two this time, it’s time to broaden your horizons.”

“If…if you think I’ll be able to help, then I will come along.” Rookie Warrior nervously nodded his head, but was ready to assist.

“Well I know you can barely take care of yourself, so, so I’ll be coming too.” Apprentice Cleric looked away as a slight blush crossed her ace when discussing Rookie Warrior.

“What a fine group then…all nine of you.” Guild Girl smiled as she looked over the nine adventurers.

“Ten…don’t forget about Wolf.” Priestess mused as she gave Wolf’s side a few good pats.

“Of course, how could I forget about this one?”

“Then everyone prepare for the journey, we’ll be dealing with the cold and the snow up in the north.” Dwarf Shaman once again looked over the contents of the letter, concerned with the presence of the undead threatening his people, but could take comfort in the knowledge that so many would be coming with him.

The adventurers and Guild Girl soon disbanded to take care of things before regrouping in the morning. Priestess turned to see Goblin Slayer and Wolf once again head down toward the blacksmith shop, she wanted to call out but he had gotten too far before she could apologize.

“Be sure to explain the situation to Orcbolg, you saw him take your word as instructions earlier. You already know how he is, he won’t hold it against you.” High Elf Archer smiled as clapped her hand along Priestess shoulder.

“Yes…you’re right.” Priestess nodded with a light smile.

xxxx

The dwarf blacksmith just finished putting up a set of armor when a familiar face popped in, or rather familiar armored figure behind him was the now familiar black dire wolf

“What are you doing back here? Is the armor not set correctly or did you come to get some armor for your friend there?”

“I’ve come to gather supplies, I’ll be going on another quest in the morning.”

“I thought you were on a rest, didn’t you and your group just get back from another quest a few days ago?”

“My party member is requesting assistance.”

The blacksmith looked over the armored warrior then his dire wolf and smiled before making his way over toward the front desk to help out his customer.

“Then let’s get you what you need. What are you going after this time? More goblins?”

“No…the dwarf told me it was the undead.”

“Undead huh? Have you fought with them before?”

“No.”

“There’s different types of undead, normally I’d say use a holy weapon or artifact, but I don’t have any of those items in stock.” Dwarf Blacksmith grunted as he bent down and came up with a small crate with eight small glass vials filled with a strange liquid. “Instead, I’d say use fire to burn them, undead are usually weak to fire, this gasoline will help light them up.”

“I’ll take them.”

While Goblin Slayer stowed the vials of gasoline within his pouch, the dwarf blacksmith placed two additional swords on the counter.

“If this battle goes on long, you’ll need additional weapons…undead don’t usually carry spare weapons with them. Truth be told though, I’d say bring a club with you, a good blow to the head will usually kill one of those things. Beware of their bite, it can kill and turn you into one of the undead.”

“Understood.” Goblin Slayer gathered up both swords, back on the farm he still had a club from an earlier goblin slaying quest.

“Now…I’ve got something very special for you. The first one is something for your dire wolf, after hearing about his heroics I decided he needs something, I’ll give it to you before you leave tomorrow. Free of charge, you tell me how it works out.” Dwarf Blacksmith then turned around to retrieve a small box and set it down on the counter. “Now these are new, they’ll be useful in taking care of large groups, but if you have no idea what they are then I’m not selling, they can easily kill you or others if you’re not careful.”

Dwarf Blacksmith opened the box and Goblin Slayer looked within at the items presented before him.

“I know about these items and how to use them…I’ll take them as well.”

“Very well and now, for the last item. I just got it in and would have given it to you earlier, but I still thought you’d be on break, however I’m thinking you’ll need this before you leave tomorrow. Use this well, you hear me?”

xxxx

Back on the farm, Goblin Slayer and Wolf gathered the needed supplies from his shed, there was no telling just how long this quest would be. He made sure to do one final inspection of the farm before going to speak with her Uncle.

“I’ll be heading out in the morning, I made sure to give the farm one more inspection.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be on break though?” Uncle sighed as he looked over the armored adventurer, always feeling uncomfortable around him.

“One of my party members needed assistance. I’ll be off to the north for a while.”

“Be sure to say your goodbyes to her, you know how she worries.” Uncle turned to head over toward the barn to tend to the animals. “Is that wolf going with you too?”

“Yes.”

“Then, be careful on your journey…both of you.”

Goblin Slayer nodded his head before heading into the house to greet his friend. Cow Girl sighed as she stripped out of her undergarments before taking a white cloth and soaking it in water to wash herself. It had been a long day and now she wanted to wash away the sweat from her body. Suddenly the door to her room opened and as she turned found him in the door way looking at her. After a few moments, she screamed realizing that she was exposed, and quickly covered herself with a nearby sheet. Although red in the face, her tone suggested that she was furious at him barging in.

“You idiot! Why didn’t you knock?”

“Sorry, I came in to let you know I would going out in the morning. The dwarf asked for help, his uncle needed some assistance with undead in the north.”

“His uncle.” She immediately thought about her own uncle then sighed as she relaxed about him coming in. “Please be careful on your quest, both you and Wolf, I don’t want to hear about you both being injured again.”

“I will.” He nodded his head before turning around to exit.

“Um…could you please forget about what you saw?” She felt the heat in her face from the embarrassment as she looked toward the ground.

“I didn’t mind.”

She suddenly looked up, shocked by his remark, his back still to her yet he still lingered in the doorway.

“It was nice.” His final comment before he walked out closing the door behind him.

As soon as the door was closed, she dropped the sheet as she placed both hands on either side of her face, her entire body turning red at the sound of his comment.

“ _It…it was nice. He didn’t mind seeing me like that._ ” She sat down in the nearby chair sighing happily as it felt like her legs would give out. “ _Alright…I think this puts me in the lead now. I’m going to make him and Wolf the most delicious stew tonight! They’ll need their strength for this quest._ ”


	19. Chapter 19

The morning came, and with it were the adventurers loading up the cargo needed for the long journey ahead of them. Spearman and Rookie Warrior were loading up food and provisions in one wagon while Priestess and Apprentice Cleric loaded up clothing in the other wagon. The girls turned to see Goblin Slayer and Wolf approach with a large bundle in his hands.

“Good morning Goblin Slayer.” Priestess bowed her head toward Goblin Slayer.

“Uh…what do you have there?” Apprentice Cleric curiously looked at the large bundle as Goblin Slayer loaded it in the back of the wagon.

“It’s something from the blacksmith, he said it was intended for Wolf.”

“Um…Goblin Slayer?”

“What is it?”

“I…I wanted to apologize for yesterday.”

“Yesterday?”

“My screaming in the tavern.” Priestess frowned as she recalled what happened the other day.

“It’s fine.” Goblin Slayer’s response was as dispassionate as ever as he moved to load up the new supplies he gathered at the blacksmith shop the other day.

Priestess still found herself frowning, she hoped he’d be more understanding or at least say more than his usual two word response. She sighed as she prepared for the journey, she at least said her apology like she wanted and would just chalk up her dream to mere silliness.

“Everybody ready?” The cheerful voice of the High Elf Archer sounded as she and the remainder of the group exited out of the Guild Hall followed by Guild Girl.

“Are you all set?” Guild Girl inquired as she looked over the group.

“All supplies have been readied.” Goblin Slayer responded with a nod as looked toward Guild Girl.

“It will take us a few days to meet up with the others near the dwarf fortress. I can only pray that we get there in time to help stop this plague before it gets too late.” Dwarf Shaman sighed as the thought of his Honored Uncle fighting these things and becoming one of them crossed his mind.

“I wish you all the best on your journey, please be careful.”

The party members nodded before loading up on the carts, Spearman and his group on the second cart while Goblin Slayer and his group on the first cart. The drivers gave a crack on the reins and off the wagons went, with Guild Girl waving good-bye as the group set off. Once on the road again, Priestess and High Elf Archer happily conversed, overjoyed to have new comrades on their journey, but soon Priestess found herself frowning as she looked back to the now sleeping Goblin Slayer.

“Did you get to apologize?”

“I did…but he barely said two words back. Do you think he’s still mad?”

“Knowing Orcbolg, he just doesn’t care about those kind of things. I wouldn’t let it bother you.”

“Long-Ears is right lass, Beardcutter isn’t the type to hold a grudge…unless it’s against goblins that is.” Dwarf Shaman chuckled as he too looked over at the sleeping Goblin Slayer and his dire wolf companion.

Priestess smiled, although weakly, as she agreed with her comrades, she knew Goblin Slayer wasn”t angry with her, but still hoped that she’d be able to make up for her silliness. Meanwhile in the second cart, the other four adventurers conversed as well about the upcoming quest.

“I’m still not sure about this…I’ve never even seen an undead let alone fought against one.” Rookie Warrior nervously rubbed his hands together as the thought of the battle ahead worried him.

“I know what you mean, I’m not sure we’ll be of much use to you all on this quest.” Apprentice Cleric could not help but sigh as she looked toward the bottom of the wagon.

“That’s enough of that you two. Have a little more faith in your abilities and those fighting with you. Even if it was only Goblin Slayer with you, you’d both be just fine, but you’ve got me and her with you, and that’s more than enough.” Spearman carefully made sure that his weapon and backup weapons were polished and ready for anything.

“Have you ever fought the undead before?” Rookie Warrior was looking toward Spearman and Witch, those he looked towards as stellar examples of what it meant to be an adventurer.

“Yeah we’ve fought them before, there’s different types but most will go down with a good strike to the head or decapitating them completely.”

“Running water…is also…effective…against…certain types.” Witch smiled as she blew out a stream of smoke.

“Too bad none of us know any water magic.” Apprentice Cleric sighed in frustration thinking about her limitations with Holy Smite then a thought came back to her. “I meant to ask, I thought I saw you speaking with Goblin Slayer yesterday in the afternoon.”

“Goblin Slayer…what did that hack want?” Spearman seemed quite angry at the thought of Witch meeting up with Goblin Slayer.

“He…asked for a favor…are you…jealous?” Witch asked with a smile across her face.

“Of…of course not…what do I have to be jealous of?” Spearman immediately turned his head to the side, trying his best to hide his flushed face.

The others chuckled as the wagon pushed forward, and so went the first day, the parties happily conversed, that evening they camped to rest the horses not aware of what dangers lay ahead of them..

xxxx

Elsewhere, one of the kings of men met with his military advisors to discuss the very presence of the lich queen and her minions.

“Has there been any movement from the dwarves yet?” The king looked over the map of the region, this horde would soon ben encroaching on his realm if not dealt with.

“The dwarves are reinforcing their forces along their fortress, they’re holding until the elves and our own forces join with them. Reports from them indicate a horde of at least a thousand. We’ve dispatched a battalion of 500 men to crush this plague, this plus what the dwarves and elves provide should be more than enough.”

“What of the lich queen?”

“Unknown at this time, she has not been seen outside of her castle thus far.”

“I would have imagined that with the defeat of the demon lord, the minions of chaos would be more reluctant to move?”

“If she’s foolish enough the try and take over the world, then we’ll be there to stop her just like the demon lord!” The shout carried with it confidence although being young and feminine.

The King and his advisors looked up from the map toward the sound of the voice to see a trio of young women walking forward. The leader of the group was a young girl with reddish hair and apricot colored eyes with a yellow ribbon in her hair and a bright smile on her face. Her companions was a swordswoman and a mage with a cloak over her bluish hair.

“I had hoped that you’d have received my message. Knowing that the Hero will be fighting alongside my men is very reassuring indeed.” King smiled and nodded his head toward the trio.

“We’ll be departing immediately! Given what we’ve seen and fought so far, I’m sure the three of us can handle this just fine.” Hero smiled confidently as she drew her holy sword and pointed it toward the ceiling. “Let’s just see what this lich queen can do!”

xxxx

“What do you mean you don’t plan on going any farther!” Spearman, now wearing his winter cloak, tightly gripped his spear while glaring back at the drivers.

After few days on the road, the group finally started to see snow gathering upon the ground, the change in weather forced them to change into their winter gear. The forest of dead trees around them had a rather dreary look with the overcast sky and constant snow flurries blowing in the wind. Now on this fifth day though, the drivers stopped their wagons and refused to go any further. The adventurers disembarked from the wagons, making sure to keep their eyes on the drivers on the off chance they tried to rob or attack them.

“We’ve already pushed our luck going this far into the forest. This place is home to legions of giant spiders and other monstrosities, I will not risk my life any further.” The driver of the first wagon jumped out of the driver’s seat.

“Nor will I. These woods…they’re cursed, you can feel the evil within the place.” The second driver shook his head but remained on his wagon.

“You’ve been hired to take our party to the dwarven fortress, it will take us at least two days on foot.” Dwarf Shaman too was angry at the refusal of these men.

“Then you may keep the first wagon and half your money…no amount of money is worth risking my life for.” The first driver took out the small pouch of gold coins and firmly placed it back in the dwarf’s hands. “I wish you the best, but we are going to head back…you’re welcome to come with us.”

“You damn cowards!” High Elf Archer angrily tightened her fists contemplating whether or not to draw her arrow upon these men.

Soon enough though, everyone looked to see Goblin Slayer unloading the cargo from the second wagon and placing it upon the first wagon with the help of Rookie Warrior.

“What are you doing Goblin Slayer?” Priestess was curious to see him moving the supplies around.

“It will be night soon, if we continue to argue we’ll lose too much time.” Goblin Slayer finished putting the last of the supplies in the wagon.

The other party members although surprised by his actions, followed with him and started to load up the first wagon. Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest set themselves up on the driver seat while the girls loaded up in the back of the wagon. Spearman, Goblin Slayer, Rookie Warrior and Wolf would escort the wagon as it moved forward.

“We’ll be going then…be safe on your journey to the dwarf fortress.” The drivers nodded their heads before driving their own wagon back the way they came.

“Damn fools, hope their wagon falls apart on them.” Spearman spat to the side as he readied to move then looked over to see Goblin Slayer looking around. “Hey Goblin Slayer, what are you standing around for?”

“Listen.”

“Listen…listen for what?” Spearman growled in frustration at Goblin Slayer’s cryptic response.

High Elf Archer could sense there was something more as she watched Goblin Slayer and Wolf both looking around the area. She closed her eyes and took in all the sounds around her as her ears twitched yet something did not feel right.

“What do you hear?”

“Nothing…I don’t hear anything.” High Elf Archer suddenly felt nervous as she looked around the area as well.

“So what the problem?” Rookie Warrior not sure where Goblin Slayer was going with this.

“We’re in the woods, yet there are no animals around. No birds or beasts.”

The others too started to grow nervous as the silence of the area around them was unsettling, there wasn’t just the cold air to make them shiver. The party decided to push forward themselves, wanting to get to a more secure spot in the woods before night fell. Unbeknownst to them, a shadowy figure hidden behind one of the trees watched as the party of adventurers moved onward. The figure walked around the trees to the main path they had taken to watch them, black armor covering its body and helmet cover the top of its head, save the front which exposed its skeletal face. Empty eye sockets watched the party, but soon it turned around the watch the other wagon moving away.

“We will start with those two first.” Within its eye sockets was a red flash of light before marching after the wagon with the drivers.

As the Armored Skeleton moved with purpose several shadows with the forest moved with him.

xxxx

‘”Get this wagon moving!”

“We’re going as fast as possible.” He looked back and saw the clear path behind them and no sign of the other wagon. “Those damn adventurers are crazy…if the rumors are true about the undead, I’m sure not going to be caught out here.”

Suddenly the wagon started to shudder violently, the two men pulled back on the reins of the horse. The horse neighed loudly as the wagon skidded to a halt nearly toppling over, but the two men managed to keep it upright.

“What was that?”

“Not sure, check the wheels!”

Both men hopped off to inspect the wheels of the wagon and to the driver’s horror found a battle ax deeply imbedded in one of the back wheels. The other man came around the back of the cart and also saw the state of the wheel.

“Where did that come from?”

“Who cares, I’m getting it out!”

“There’s no need for that.” The voice that spoke sounded ancient, yet full of menace.

The two men turned around to see, to see an armored skeletal warrior glaring back at them. Both backed up until they hit the wagon, they contemplated running but the sight around them removed any fight they had. Surrounding them were a couple dozen individuals of different race, but all were covered in horrid wounds and looked at the men with blank stares. Their horse whinny repeatedly as it tried to remove itself from the wagon at the sight of the individuals around it.

“The girl…where is she?” The Armored Skeleton approached the men.

“Wha, what girl?”

“The adventurers...they went the other way!”

“I don’t care about those fools, all I need to know is was she with them?” The skeletal warrior’s skull features contorted in rage.

“We don’t know who you’re talking about.”

“Then you’re of no use to me…at least you’ll be of some use to them.” The Armored Skeletal took hold of the battle ax and ripped it free from the wheel then turned and began to walk away. “Once you’ve finished…will be going after them.”

The horde let out a moan as they shuffled toward the two men and horse. All three panicked as they tried to move away but the undead around them were too many. The Armored Skeleton sneered as the men and horse were assaulted by the undead who feasted upon their flesh.

xxxx

“Whoa!” Dwarf Shaman pulled back on the reins of the horse.

He and the others all stopped and looked behind them, it hadn’t been that long ago that they had left the two men to their own devices but the screams they heard echoed throughout the woods. The screams continued for some time, Apprentice Cleric closing her eyes and covered her ears while Priestess tightly gripped her sounding staff yet shook with fear. Soon enough the screams died down, and now the group could only hear the sound of the wind blowing through the forest.

“We need to leave…now.” High Elf Archer grew nervous at the sounds they heard in the distance.

“No good Long-Ears.” The dwarf gave the reins a crack but the horse refused to budge, it neighed and stomped around in place. “The horse refuses to budge.”

“We’ll set up camp here then.” Goblin Slayer calmly walked toward the cart to retrieve his bow and a small quiver of arrows. “Be sure to tie the horse to one of the trees that way he won’t run off.”

“And who put you in charge?” Spearman fumed at being told what to do by Goblin Slayer.

“No one. It will be dark soon and we’ll need to keep ourselves warm.”

“Where…are you…going then?” Witch was quite curious to see Goblin Slayer walk away from the group with bow in hand.

“I will check to see if there is any game for us to eat tonight.”

Everyone watched as Goblin Slayer walked away from the group followed by Wolf. With no other choice, the group disembarked from the wagon and went to work gathering supplies as they set up camp for the night. Goblin Slayer and Wolf walked for a bit until they came upon a stream and nearby they could see a large deer lapping at the water below. Wolf eyes grew big as he crouched low ready to pounce, but Goblin Slayer placed his hand along his back to stop him from charging forward. Goblin Slayer raised his bow and readied his arrow just as the deer looked up and turned toward Goblin Slayer. Before he could shoot, something large and white tackled the deer by the neck and brought it crashing to the ground in a violent display.

“Hmm.” Goblin Slayer lowered his weapon to carefully inspect the creature that attacked the deer.

Wolf growled as he too observed the creature but soon stopped as he took in the smell of the creature before him, it was another dire wolf like himself, and this one was female. The white dire wolf savagely bit into the deer’s neck shaking its head from side to side before tearing off a chunk of flesh to eat. The white wolf’s ears twitched as it heard the sounds of crunching snow, she instantly picked her head up snarling at whoever was approaching. She could see the armored human walking toward her boldly and like any other wolf was cautious of humans, but then smelled the scent of another wolf. She stopped her snarling to look to the side and saw the large black wolf beside this human.

Both wolves walked toward one another and started to cautiously circle each other while sniffing out the other. Wolf happily wagged his tail at meeting this other dire wolf, but the white dire wolf was still cautious as it looked over at the black dire wolf. She then realized that the armored human was moving toward her kill and instantly rushed over toward him growling as he bent down toward the deer.

“I’m not going to take all of him…just the legs.” Goblin Slayer turned his head toward the left to see the dire wolf snarling at him.

The white dire wolf continued to snarl at the armored human but soon stopped when she realized he was not reacting to her. The white wolf turned its head to the side, studying the curious human before her, she then saw the black wolf on the other side of the human bark twice before noticing him wag his tail.

Goblin Slayer took out his dagger and went to work cutting off the legs of the deer. It took a while but he finally managed to cut through all four legs. He gave one of the legs to Wolf then passed another to the white wolf, she stared at the leg then looked back to the armored human who stood with the other two legs over his shoulder.

“I just need these, the rest is yours.” He reached out and placed his hand atop the white wolf’s head and gave her a gentle pat. “Thanks.”

Goblin Slayer then turned and began to walk away followed by Wolf. The white dire wolf studied the two as they walked away, the human was different from the others she had seen before and was also surprised to see another dire wolf going with the human. As the two moved away, she went back to eating her kill before the rotting creatures came back out.

By the time Goblin Slayer came back, the rest of the group had the fire going and started preparing a stew.

“Goblin Slayer, you’re back.” Priestess smiled as she continued to stir the stew mix.

“Are those deer legs?” High Elf Archer frowning at the thought of Goblin Slayer killing the deer.

“I’ll starting skinning the legs.” Goblin Slayer sat himself down and began to work with his dagger.

“Give me one of those legs, that way we can roast them. Where’s the rest of it?” Spearman inquired as started to strip the skin from the other leg.

“The dire wolf kept the rest of it.”

“Dire wolf, you mean Wolf?” Dwarf Shaman asked as he looked over to see Wolf eating his own deer leg.

“No, the white one.”

“White one…Milord Goblin Slayer are you saying there was another dire wolf.”

The other party members were surprised by this news, but Goblin Slayer just continued to work on the deer leg.

“A white female?” Goblin Slayer finished with his leg as he set it up near the flames to start cooking.

The party members were curious about the other dire wolf, but their hunger won out as they continued about their normal business. Night fell, and the fire did little to comfort some of party members as the rest watched the forest for any sign of movement. Wolf happily chewed on the deer bones while too watching those in his pack and listening for anything in the woods around them.

“We need to make sure we move out by dawn’s first light, I’m hopeful that my uncle is still safe.” Dwarf Shaman took a swig of his fire wine before offering the others some.

“The sooner we’re out of this forest the better…even a dwarf fortress would be better than this.” High Elf Archer finished checking her bow while also looking at the woods as well.

Goblin Slayer sat with his back to the fire looking out at the darkness with sword drawn with Spearman sitting beside him with spear resting upon his shoulder.

“What do you think Goblin Slayer?”

“I’ve seen some of the shadows moving in the distance…it may be goblins.”

“I suppose…but it might also be the undead, you know the ones we’re here to take care of.”

“Hrm.” Goblin Slayer studied the tree line and believed he saw a figure moving rather quickly and crunching sound of the footsteps in the snow. “They’re coming.”

xxxx

A figure ran through the forest, constantly checking behind them for any movement, but saw nothing.

“ _Have to keep moving!_ ” Before them they could see a light. “ _What’s that light? A fire…could be the dwarves…anything is better than dealing with those monsters._ ”

Suddenly the figure tripped over a tree root and collapsed in the snow, as they pushed themselves up saw nine armed figures looking in their direction. The figure quickly stood and drew out twin daggers from behind its back and prepared to defend themselves. The party members could see this small framed figure, apparently a young woman, standing before them wearing a black hooded-cloak covering her body and most of her face.

“Who…who are you? Are you working for her?” The voice was young and feminine, almost sounding like a young teenager. “I refuse to go back, I know what she has in store for me!”

“Calm yourself, we’re not going to hurt you.” Priestess held out her free hand to try and calm this young girl down.

“However if you continue to brandish those weapons at us, we’ll be inclined to defend ourselves.” High Elf Archer continued to aim her bow and arrow at this figure.

“Then…you’re not working for her? Aren’t you mercenaries?”

“We’re adventurers, now put the daggers away and reveal yourself!” Spearman sternly replied while still pointing her spear at this figure.

The figure put both daggers away then sighed as she removed the hood of her cloak. The young woman had bluish skin, pointed ears like a half-elf, short light pink hair and bright yellow eyes. The rest of the adventurers took one look at this female figure and continued to point their weapons at her save Priestess.

“Are you a goblin?”

“That’s no goblin…that’s a demon.” Spearman’s response held a bit of disdain in it.

“Wait! Wait! Wait!” The demon girl raised her hands to show she was not going to attack them. “I understand the feelings prayers have to demons, but I’m not here to attack anyone, I’m trying to get away from her.”

“Who is this one you’re trying to get away from?” Lizard Priest was still suspicious of the demon girl but was willing to listen to her tale.

“The Lich Queen.”

The new voice caught everyone by surprise and made the young female demon run towards the adventurers and hide behind the two armored warriors. The party members could see a skeletal warrior covered from head to toe in black armor with large battle ax in hand.

“The Armored Skeleton.” The female demon’s voice had gone rather high with fear as she looked at the skeletal warrior before them.

“We’ve been looking for you all day, now come back with us.” The Armored Skelton’s voice seemed rather friendly, but everyone could tell he was easily lying.

“I’m not going back!”

“What of your brother?” The Armored Skeleton smiled sinisterly while staring at the female demon. “All he knows is that you’re missing, should we tell him that you’ve join with the humans?”

“Leave him out of this!”

“You…adventurers! Surely this demon is not worth protecting? Turn her over to us and you may live through the night.”

Goblin Slayer studied the figure before him then looked back toward the female demon and could see the fear in her eyes. He purposely moved in front of the demon girl with sword and shield ready to fight. The demon girl was surprised by this move on this human’s part then found a large black dire wolf beside her growling at the skeletal warrior.

“She will remain with us.”

The others were stunned by Goblin Slayer’s comment, but too decided to defend this girl. The demon girl was surprised by all of this, she then felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see a young girl in the vestments of the clergy with sounding staff in hand smiling back at her. The young female demon smiled and nodded in response before she too drew out her daggers to fight back against the Armored Skeleton.

“Never thought I’d be defending a demon, but if Orcbolg can trust her then so can I.”

“Indeed, even our companion Wolf has put his trust in the young demoness.”

“Why…protect…this one…Goblin Slayer?” Witch stood by Dwarf Shaman with staff ready to use her magic.

“She’s not a goblin.” Goblin Slayer’s response was as dispassionate as ever, making the other around him smile at the response.

“I don’t know about that, but it sounds like this skeleton might be connected to the Lich Queen. The sooner we deal with him, the sooner we get some info on our target.” Spearman smiled as he tightened his grip around his spear. “You skeleton’s may be lacking is guts, so stabbing won’t work, but I’m sure that skull of yours still needs to be attached to the rest of your body.”

“Not to mention, when we’re done Wolf will have plenty of bones to chew on.” Dwarf Shaman readied his right hand with small pebbles for Stone Blast.

The Armored Skelton looked over the party of adventurers, before turning his attention to the wagon and horse. With a quick movement, he decapitated the horse, everyone was forced to watch as the heavy body slumped to the ground. Before they could attack, they all heard the moans and wails of creatures all around them. Little by little they saw dozens of individuals shamble out from the trees toward them. There were elves, men, dwarves, goblins, men and women, but all had the stench of death about them as bloody drool spilled out of their mouths. Priestess and the younger adventurers were terrified by the sight of the horde of undead that surrounded them, her dream now did appear like a premonition of things to come and with that thought could not help but look back toward Goblin Slayer.

“You’ve made a very foolish mistake…thankfully it will be your last.” Armored Skeleton sneered as he watched the horde slowly moving closer toward the party. “The horde still hungers, and there will be no escape for you…let’s just see how long you last.”


	20. Chapter 20

“So…goblins are involved.” Goblin Slayer looked over the wounded goblins that shuffled toward him.

“Yeah…only these goblins are already dead.” Spearman grunted as he slashed his spear to his left decapitating one of the human undead that came within range of his attack.

“A goblin that can keep attacking after being killed…that’s troublesome.” Goblin Slayer rushed forward and with a downward slash split the goblin skull open.

The party members that could attack pressed forward to combat the never ending number of the undead. Rookie Warrior made the mistake of splitting one of the elvish undead in half across the stomach and was horrified to see it crawling toward him still moaning with hunger. Lizard Priest rushed forward and decapitated the moving torso before it could get ahold of Rookie Warrior’s ankles.

“Th, thanks!”

“You are most welcome, but keep your guard up the rest are coming.”

Even with a dozen dead, the horde still had dozens more coming toward them. Priestess had used Holy Light in an attempt to blind the creatures, but it had no effect as the undead moved closer and closer. High-Elf Archer let loose arrow after arrow easily piercing through skulls, while Dwarf Shaman and Witch used Stone Blast and Magic Missile to blow the dead apart. Wolf lunged for one of the creature’s, sinking its teeth into its arm and with a couple shakes tore the arm loose. Wolf dropped the arm and quickly moved back before the one-armed creature could bite him. Once it fell to the ground, Wolf jumped toward it and bit into the creature’s neck. The young demon girl plunged her daggers into the temples of one of the creatures before jumping back to defend Priestess and Apprentice Cleric.

“Damn it…there’s no end to these things.” The young demon girl trembled slightly as she watched the creature moan angrily with arms stretched out, almost like they were reaching for her.

The Armored Skeleton watched as the horde continued to attack while adventurers who could attack were slowly being forced back up further and further.

“O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, by the power of the land, grant safety to we who are weak…Protection!”

Instantly a large invisible barrier was created, protecting the adventurers from the mob of the undead who piled up on the outside pounding and clawing at the barrier. The warriors continued to slash away at the undead from the protected side but their blades soon began to catch in the flesh and bone of the creatures from repeated use. They were forced to pull further back while Wolf and the demon girl stood ready to defend the spell casters.

“The…the horde is too large. I’m going to run out of arrows at this point.”

“Keep shooting Long-Ears, we’ve got to keep those things at bay otherwise they’ll end up consuming us…not enough room for me to use another Stone Blast.”

“I may have a way to deal with these things.” Goblin Slayer reached within his pouch and withdrew two vials filled with a strange liquid. “The moment they’re over the horde, shoot the vials.”

“Okay Orcbolg!”

“You know lightning yes?” Goblin Slayer turned to look at the nervous Apprentice Cleric.

“M…me? I…know Holy Smite.”

“When I tell you, use it.”

“Yes sir.”

“What’s the plan Goblin Slayer?” Spearman took a step back as he saw a crack form in the barrier.

“I was told that fire is effective against the undead…time to test that.” Goblin Slayer threw both vials in an upward arcing motion threw the barrier over the horde. “Shoot now!”

High Elf Archer let loose two arrows that easily shattered the vials and allowed the contents to rain down on the creatures below. The undead were oblivious to the liquid that now coated their bodies as they continued to push against the invisible wall, but the Armored Skeleton gasped when he realized what the adventurers were up to.

“Use Holy Smite!”

“Lord of Judgement, sword-prince, scale-bearer, display here your power…Holy Smite!” Apprentice Cleric lifted her sword and scales pointing at the mob as a bolt of lightning flew forward.

The lightning hit the nearest creature then branched off towards others and in that instance ignited the gasoline the coated the undead. In a blaze of fire the creatures were surrounded by flames, impervious to the pain of the flames, they continued to attack in a frightening display. At first it would appear that all Goblin Slayer did was create an army of flaming monsters but soon the bodies began to collapse from the damage created by the fire. As Protection ended, the massive army was reduced to roughly ten creatures, Goblin Slayer and the others went to work quickly finishing off the last of the creatures before everyone turned their attention toward Armored Skeleton.

“Most impressive…you are the first to be able to deal with the horde without losing any of your companions.” Armored Skelton tightened his grip around his battle ax as he prepared to attack. “Unlike you all though, I never tire so I can fight longer than any of you can last. You will return with me this instant!”

“You can go back to whatever hell you came from, I will no longer be her plaything!”

“So be it.”

Just as Armored Skelton was ready to attack, several voices could be heard approaching them. They looked out to see dozens of lights coming toward them, torches carried by others.

“Dwarves…my kin.” Dwarf Shaman smiled as he saw the rest of his kinsman approaching.

Armored Skeleton hissed as he backed away into the shadows of the trees, even he was not foolish enough to take on these adventurers and the dwarf reinforcements. There were other undead all throughout the forest so it was unlikely that they would pursue him.

“It looks as though you have been spared, you will not be so fortunate the next time we meet in battle.”

He vanished into the darkness, none of the adventurers gave chase as they slowly went about catching their breath. The young demon girl tucked her daggers away and replaced her hood over her head, not eager to allow the dwarves to recognize what she was.

“Thank you.” She smiled and bowed her head toward the Spearman.

“Don’t thank me…thank him.” Spearman gestured toward Goblin Slayer before walking over toward the wagon. “I just hope we haven’t made a big mistake.”

The demon girl sighed as she heard the anger in the human’s voice then slowly approached the man in the dirty leather armor.

“Thank you sir, for protecting me.”

Goblin Slayer turned toward her, at first glance she too thought he was an undead given his state of armor and glowing red eye.

“You seemed to be frightened of that skeleton.”

“I was…I did not want to head back…although I think my brother may still be in danger, and may yet be a danger to all of us.” The demon girl sighed as she thought about her brother still in the lich’s castle. “I’ll be on my way as soon as possible…don’t want to be seen with a demon right?”

“That doesn’t matter to me.”

The demon girl turned toward this armored man with a look of shock, he knew she was a demon and wasn’t bothered by her presence.

“You’re not a goblin and needed help.”

The demon girl suddenly turned her head away and pulled her hood up higher as to hide the pinkish hue that crossed her face. Priestess and High Elf Archer both growled in frustration at the sight of Goblin Slayer giving his attention to this demon girl.

“Honored Uncle.” Dwarf Shaman happily embraced his uncle.

“Nephew, thank the gods you and the others are alright. We saw the flames while searching for the undead and thought the worst.” Honored Uncle gave Dwarf Shaman a hardy clap on the back. “Well done all of you.”

The dwarves looked over the bodies of the undead while High Elf Archer went to work retrieving her arrows, taking very careful care to clean them of their foul stench before replacing them in her quiver. Honored Uncle was delighted to see the various adventurers that had accompanied his nephew, even the elf, but was surprised at the sight of Goblin Slayer and the black dire wolf.

“By the gods…is he one of the undead as well, and what is that, his hell hound?” Honored Uncle smiled as he inspected this oddly dressed individual.

“This is Beardcutter.”

“This is Beardcutter? He doesn’t look quite like what I imagined, but if you trust him that’s good enough for me.” Honored Uncle then looked over toward the young girl in the black hood and immediately frowned as he tightened his grip around his sword. “What is she doing here?”

The other dwarves turned and readied their weapons at the sight of the young demon girl. The young demon girl grew nervous as she started to back up only to have Wolf stand before her growling at the approaching dwarves. Goblin Slayer then walked forward and stood beside Wolf placing his hand upon his sword surprising not only the rest of his party members but the demon girl behind him.

“Enough.”

“You there…Beardcutter. That’s a demon behind you.” Honored Uncle and the others stopped their advance but still watched the demon girl.

“This girl helped us during the attack. She knows the enemy and may be of help to us.” Goblin Slayer turned toward the demon girl behind him.

“I’ll tell you all what you need to know, and I have a map of the inside of her castle.” The demon girl nodded her head toward Goblin Slayer.

Honored Uncle frowned as he looked over the demon girl then back toward Goblin Slayer and Wolf then sighed in defeat as he turned around to walk back toward the other dwarves.

“You best keep an eye on her, demons are known to kill you in your sleep.” Honored Uncle then looked toward the wagon and the partially devoured horse to instruct the other dwarves to unload the cargo. “They won’t be getting far with that, gather their supplies, we make for the fortress to regroup with the others.”

The rest of Goblin Slayer’s friends and comrades walked toward him and Wolf to express their concerns over his most recent actions.

“What the hell are you on about Beardcutter?” Dwarf Shaman too growled in frustration at the demeanor of his friend. “Why the hell are you so trusting of that girl, you just met her?”

“I have to agree Goblin Slayer, doesn’t all of this seem a bit rushed.” Priestess cautiously looked over the demon girl who had an unsure look about her own face.

“I hope you can at least explain yourself to us Orcbolg?”

“Look at Wolf.” Goblin Slayer motioned toward the dire wolf beside him and the demon girl.

Everyone looked toward Wolf, he was simply standing their looking at them. There seemed to be nothing incredibly special about what Wolf was doing so it was Spearman who finally asked the question.

“What’s so special about this dumb beast here?”

“He has not attempted to growl at this girl. Animals are naturally cautious of things they don’t trust, the fact he has not shown any aggression to her means he trusts her and I trust him.” Goblin Slayer then made his way toward the wagon to retrieve the special cargo given to him by the blacksmith followed by Wolf then turned toward the demon girl. “Are you coming?”

“Huh…oh yes sir.” The demon girl ran to catch up Goblin Slayer and Wolf.

The rest of his party was left there to watch the three walk toward the wagon without them. Priestess closed her eyes and sighed as she looked toward the ground, her jealousy had caused her to doubt in Goblin Slayer’s judgement and now he was walking away from her again. The others then followed behind the trio and managed to catch up with them and followed behind the dwarves.

“Once we are out of the woods, you will tell us the whole story yes?” Goblin Slayer turned toward the demon girl.

“Yes sir.”

Goblin Slayer slung the large bundle over his shoulder before he and Wolf followed behind the dwarves and soon came upon a large clearing with several wagons.

“Load up the wagons, we still have a long day’s ride ahead of us.” Honored Uncle quickly boarded the nearest wagon while nodding to his nephew. “We’ll talk more when we’re back at the fortress.”

Their first battle with the undead had ended in victory for Goblin Slayer and his comrades, but there was still unease at the withdrawal of Armored Skeleton and now the presence of the demon girl on the wagon with them. As the wagons moved away from the clearing, the white dire wolf came out from behind the trees to watch them, as she picked up on the scent of the other dire while moving away with them she decided to run after them.

xxxx

It took most of the day until Armored Skeleton reached the Lich Queen’s castle. The castle was made of blacked stone that seemed to spiral upward with unnatural designs, ice clung to the top of the spires as the wind and snow blew around it. Armored Skeleton waited for the draw bridge to drop before entering into the castle in the main courtyard were hundreds of skeletal warriors with various weapons who parted to the side as their master walked past them. With the castle the moans and cries of the living dead echoed as the majority of the horde was kept below in the catacombs. He proceeded forward into the main hall where the massive Lich Queen sat upon her throne. He immediately got down on one knee and bowed his head while she slowly stood and approached him.

“What news?”

“Me queen…I was unable to retrieve the girl.”

The Lich Queen stopped upon hearing the news, although he could not see her face from behind the black veil, he could feel her cold dead eyes upon him. With a growl she lunged for the Armored Skeleton, wrapping her right hand around his neck and effortlessly lifting him some eight feet into the air until they were face to face.

“Your stupidity knows no end. Your only saving grace is that I require your military insight for controlling the others.” Lich Queen then tossed the Armored Skelton back to the ground as she paced around her throne room.

“My deepest apologies my queen. She ran into a group of adventurers who were able to deal with the horde.” Armored Skeleton grunted as he picked himself up from the floor.

“Adventurers…fool! With that girl gone one of my horcruxes is now in danger. It would seem that my direct intervention is now required.”

“My queen, but even with the girl gone that would only put one of the horcrux you possess in harm’s way.”

“And I should lose one? You damned fool, I don’t intend to lose a single one…if they are destroyed I will become vulnerable. I have not lived for thousands of years to let everything fall to the way side.” Lich Queen held out her right hand and suddenly a black, curved sword appeared in her hand. “Tell the boy of his sister…we may have use for him tonight.”

“Yes my queen.”

“Tell me, have the elves and humans joined these dwarves at that damn fortress?”

“They have, and now some nine adventurers and the girl have joined with them. On another important note, it would seem that the Hero has been dispatched with the battalion of humans.”

“The Hero? The one who defeated the demon lord yes?”

“Yes my queen.”

“How wonderful.” Lich Queen then broke into a fit of laughter, slow at first then building to a faster pace as she threw her head back.

xxxx

The group reached the large dwarven fortress by the middle of the day, still tired from the journey and the fighting they quickly unloaded their gear and were set up in separate rooms. The four girls then turned their attention toward the young demon girl who sat quietly on the last bed with her back to them while nervously looking at the ground. The four looked at one another until High Elf Archer growled in frustration.

“Damn it this is getting uncomfortable!”

The demon girl shuddered at the sounds, she had a feeling they might try something and had her daggers ready if that happened, but would rather not kill those that had helped her.

“I’m…sorry for our earlier behavior.”

The response the demon heard was surprising to say the least, she turned to look at them with wide eyes to see the four smiling back at her before each bowed their heads.

“Truly, we should not have rushed to a hasty judgment based on your race. Please forgive us.” Priestess once again bowed her head while her sounding staff jingled.

“Thank you…for your understanding and for protecting me.” The demon girl removed her hood and then calmly undid her cloak.

Her attire was much like what the Rookie Warrior was wearing, although black in color and she wore dark brown gloved and boots, beneath her garments was a thin layer of chain mail to protect her body without hindering her mobility.

“I should be thanking you, you made sure to protect me and Priestess while taking on those undead.” Apprentice Cleric smiled as she nodded toward the young demon girl happy to have another girl around her age to speak with.

“I do understand how people can jump to conclusions based on the fact that I am a demon…or rather half-demon.”

“You’re a half-demon…”

Before High Elf Archer could finish, their door was suddenly and forcefully opened as Spearman and the other men barged in.

“Ladies don’t mind me…I do hope your decent?”

“Please pardon us?” Rookie Warrior blushed while nodding his head toward the others.

“You damn pervert, hoping to catch us off guard huh?” Apprentice Cleric frowned while turning her head, also bushing as well.

“I would have expected this from the dwarf but I’m surprised at you two.” High Elf Archer teased as she looked toward Goblin Slayer and Lizard Priest.

“That was not my intention.”

“Nor mine Lady Ranger.”

“We came to see how our new “friend” was doing.” Spearman frowned as he looked over at demon girl sitting on the bed. “So tell us about yourself “friend”.”

The demon girl frowned at the accusing tone of this adventurer, then smiled as she decided that she would have some fun with them.

“Fool!” She stood and gestured with her hands as she tried to look as intimidating as possible. “You dare anger a centuries-old demon who has laid waste to countless…”

“Didn’t you say you were half-demon?” Priestess was puzzled by her sudden behavior and change in story.

The demon girl stood there in her pose with mouth wide open as she looked toward Priestess then back to the group before recomposing herself.

“Ye…yes a centuries-old half-demon who has laid waste to countless…”

She stopped as the large dire wolf nudged her side, she looked down at the wolf who turned his head toward its left side curiously. She looked up and grew nervous as she looked toward the oddly dressed Goblin Slayer and swore that she could see red eyes glowing within the darkness.

“How old?” Goblin Slayer’s response was so cold it made the demon girl shiver.

“Seventeen…I’m a seventeen year old half-demon.” She dropped her arms with a loud sigh as she plopped back on the bed. “I was trying to have some fun, but so much for that.”

“Alright lass, Beardcutter and Wolf seem to have put their faith in you, so I’m going to do the same.” Dwarf Shaman placed his hands on his knees as he too sat down to listen. “Tell us the whole thing.”

“I was running from the Lich Queen. I worked for her as a thief and assassin.” Half-Demon Thief sighed as she recalled the tale. “My older brother and I both served her until I found out about her plans.”

“Wait a minute, you worked with the enemy?” High Elf Archery was rather angry to hear that this girl was involved with the one who brought back her kinsmen as the undead.

“I won’t deny it, her interest was in humans and for me and my brother anything to get back at the humans was worth it.” Half-Demon Thief then looked toward the humans in the room and sighed. “I’m sorry for what I said, but the same way you were angry with me for being a demon, I was angry with humans for what they did to us.”

“What…do you mean…what humans…did?” Witch took a drag on her pipe before blowing out a stream of smoke to the side.

“My mother was human and my father was a demon. She wasn’t some demon cult worshiper and my father wasn’t some minion of the demon lord…they were just two people who fell in love with each other. That was their only crime.” Half-Demon Thief found that her hands were shaking so she quickly closed her them to form fists to stop herself. “When we were born, my mother made sure to tell the others in our village we were the product of a night of passion with a dark elf, it was still frowned upon but people mostly left us alone, until the day my father was killed. He knew he could not be with us long term because it would put us all in danger, but one day, four years ago, as he was leaving our house, he was killed by the village guard and the truth had been revealed.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your father my dear, even if he was a demon he sounds like he was an admirable fellow.” Lizard Priest bowed his head and placed his hands together.

“What happened afterwards?” Rookie Warrior was also saddened to hear about her past but also wanted to know the rest of the tale.

“My brother and I were thrown in prison, a form of leniency since we were still children, while our mother was beaten to death by the villagers for being a demon worshiper.” Half-Demon Thief found tears hitting her fists and quickly rubbed her eyes to wipe them away. “The humans left us in that prison for about a month, while they decided what they would do with us. In that time, my brother and I had dug our way out and escaped into the woods. We spent the next year training in the art of thieving and assassination before we came back to the village and took our revenge on the people who had known us for more than ten years, yet the moment they realized we were part demon they treated us like dangerous animals. After the night, I just wanted to go away, somewhere far away, but my bother said we weren’t done with the humans.”

“And you followed after your older brother?” Goblin Slayer looked toward the small girl to see tears in her eyes and her body slightly shaking.

“He’s my only family, I had to follow him.” Half-Demon Thief turned her head away from them. “There…now you know my horrible past. What will you do now?”

The group was silent as they heard her story, truly heard her story, like she said, the true question was now that they knew about her, what would they do with her.

“Is your brother still with this…what was it called?” Goblin Slayer looked toward the others in his party.

“You mean the lich? Yes he’s still with her.” Half-Demon Thief was the one who responded with a surprised look about her face.

“Yes that thing, then if we defeat this lich we should be able to retrieve your brother. Tell us about this lich.”

“You mean you’ll help me…I can stay with you all?” Half-Demon Thief was at a loss for words as she looked around to see the others, even Spearman, smiling back at her.

“Yes.”

“Th…thank you.” Half-Demon Thief once again had to wipe her eyes, in the last four years she had not received such kindness from anyone.

Before she could give them any further information though, there was a knock at the door. As Lizard Priest opened the door he found a dwarf present requesting the party’s presence with the war council. The party members left their room following behind the dwarf as they moved through the fortress. Half-Demon Thief had a surprised look about her face as she looked at all the humans, elves and dwarves present in this fortress, but the look about her face was not one of joy but concern. The others looked over this group suspiciously, particularly Goblin Slayer, Wolf and Half-Demon Thief.

Soon the party was led to the room that housed Honored Uncle, Elven Leader and the Human Commander. The three nodded their heads toward the party but grew concerned with the presence of the demon with the party. As Goblin Slayer and Wolf entered the room, there was a cheerful voice that called out to him.

“I remember you!”

Goblin Slayer turned to see a trio of young women approach him, their leader was a girl with reddish hair and apricot-colored eyes.

“It is you right? The one from that Frontier Village, you were digging holes on the outskirts of the village.”

“Yes.”

“So what were you doing that night?” The Sword Master was curious to know what this oddly dressed individual had been up to.

“Preparing for goblins.”

“Goblins, does one really need to prepare for such weak creatures?” Sage shook her head at the thought of having to do so much for just mere goblins.

“Didn’t I tell you all that goblin are truly fearsome creatures?” Hero then thought about what she had said and turned back toward this man and knew who he was. “You’re this Goblin Slayer then yes?”

“I am Goblin Slayer.” Goblin Slayer replied as he looked over the three young females in front of him, once again unaware of the frustrated looks he was getting from Priestess, High Elf Archer and now Half-Demon Thief.

“It’s good to see you…wait, what is she doing here?” Hero drew out her sword and pointed it at Half-Demon Thief.

Sage and Sword Master joined Hero and readied themselves to attack while Half-Demon Thief drew out both daggers to defend herself. Before anyone could attack though, Goblin Slayer stood before them all with left arm raised, motioning for Half-Demon Thief to stay behind him.

“What are you doing?” Hero was angry that he would stand between her and this demon.

“She has information on this lich or whatever it is called.” Goblin Slayer lowered his arm and turned to see Half-Demon Thief put away her weapons and back up toward the rest of Goblin Slayer’s party.

“That demon is going to help us?” Hero angrily put away her sword before walking away with the rest of her party. “Nothing good can come from working with a demon…perhaps I was wrong about you.”

Goblin Slayer didn’t care about what these girls thought of him, and the rest of his party knew this, but also knew that now was not the best time for such an attitude.

“Then why don’t we have this little demon tell us something useful.” Human Commander sneered as he looked over the demon. “That is assuming she’s not here to kill us in our sleep.”

“I am a trained assassin, I’d watch my mouth.” Half-Demon Thief glared at this human with disgust as she had for other humans.

“You’re not helping…I’d swear that you’ve been hanging around Orcbolg for too long.” High Elf Archer sighed as she placed a hand on the young girl’s shoulder.

“Fine.” Half-Demon Thief sighed as she changed her tone to warn them. “Before leaving, I managed to create a map of the Lich Queen’s castle and know the location of her three horcruxes.”

“What’s a horcrux?” Hero was slightly intrigued by the sound of unfamiliar word.

“An object that part of the spell caster’s soul has been placed in, unless these items are destroyed, the spell caster will maintain his or her immortality. Before we go any further, please tell me that the people I’ve seen here is not your full forces?”

“Of course not you foolish girl, there are others in the banquet hall and stable areas. We would not be so stupid as to attack with only a few dozen.” Human Commander scoffed at the idea of this demon underestimating them.

“With our combined forces we are a little over 1500.” Elf Leader replied ignoring the pompous human.

“That’s all…are any more reinforcements coming?”

“This is all we have, why are you so concerned?” Honored Uncle frowned as he stroked his beard. “From what we’ve seen on our little excursions, the horde should be in the hundreds at most.”

“Those you’ve seen are the few the Lich has allowed to out of the castle. The force she will be bringing to you is over 15,000 strong.”


	21. Chapter 21

“Did you say 15,000?” Honored Uncle’s mouth hung open at the thought of thousands of these undead monsters would come shambling toward this fortress.

“The Lich Queen has amassed an army of the dead 15,000 strong.” Half-Demon Thief sighed as she closed her eyes thinking about the various monstrosities she had witnessed.

“Th…that’s not possible. There is no feasible way that this lich could have such a force and nobody know about it.” Human Commander was like Honored Uncle, in utter denial of this possible army. “You must be mistaken…some kind of demon trick.”

“If you’d push aside your hatred for demons you’d see I’m trying to warn you.” Half-Demon Thief sighed angrily at the fact that this human was too dense to know what was at stake here.

“This army, what type of undead can we expect to face?”

“You’re not seriously going to believe her?” Human Commander turned toward the Elf Leader with an incredulous look.

“If what she says is true, I want to be prepared.”

“She’s obviously lying!”

“Can you be sure? Can you guarantee that we have nothing to worry about?” Honored Uncle looked toward the Human Commander with a rather serious look. “This girl helped my nephew and his comrades when they were being attacked, so she’s earned my initial trust.”

Human Commander growled angrily at being talked down to by someone shorter than he but knew that now was not the time to go making enemies with his temporary allies. Honored Uncle then looked toward the Half-Demon Thief and smiled before nodding at her with a wink, the small action brought a smile to her face.

“Please continue.” Elf Leader too nodded his head for her to continue with the information.

“The horde is mostly made of the reanimated and infected individuals; humans, goblins, dwarves and the others like them. But she has also resurrected some 5,000 skeletal warriors. These are the fighters who will engage soldiers because they remember their own military training while the horde comes in behind them to devour the rest.”

“Where did she find all those skeletons with experience on the battlefield?” Dwarf Shaman was surprised to hear that there were that many skeletal warriors like the one they had seen the night before.

“Maybe from the graveyards in the area?” Rookie Warrior offered a possible solution to the situation at hand.

“No way, even if you dug up every skeleton in the region, there’s no way they would all be experienced soldiers or adventurers.” Spearman shook his head trying to think of a possible way to find that many well-trained individuals.

“Are any of you familiar with legend of the Five Armies?” Half-Demon Thief looked toward everyone to see if anyone knew what she was talking about, rather something her brother had mentioned.

Dwarf Shaman, Lizard Priest and High Elf Archer all looked toward one another, they were familiar with the story, but it was a dispassionate, almost mechanical voice that spoke for the group.

“The Battle of the Five Armies.”

“Orcbolg…you know of the legend?”

“I’ve read the story…particularly one that involved an army of goblins.”

“So…what’s this legend then?” Hero frowned at this man who would associate with demons, but was curious to know what he knew.

“The legend goes that after a malicious dragon had been slain, a group of dwarves had gone to where it had been dwelling to reclaim their lost home…and the supposed mountain of treasure. The humans whose town had been lost in the dragon attack and the elves who had a grudge with the dwarves joined forces to take the mountain for themselves.”

“Is all of that true?” Apprentice Cleric turned toward Dwarf Shaman and High Elf Archer.

“The legend varies, some say it happened hundreds of years ago others say it happened thousands of years ago.” High Elf Archer shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

“The only thing that is known is the feud that started with the elves and dwarves still continues to this day…although I’m happy to say things are much better now, isn’t that right Long-Ears?”

“On that note I can agree with you dwarf.” High Elf archer nodded and smiled before looking back toward Orcbolg. “Finish the story there Orcbolg.”

“Before the humans and elves could attack, an army of dwarves came to aid their kinsmen, but a powerful wizard appeared before these armies to warn them of another approaching army…an army of goblins upon wolves. The three forces joined as one to oppose the goblin army, but it was not until the arrival of the fifth army that the tide of the battle had turned and the goblins were conquered.”

“Who was the fifth army Goblin Slayer?” Priestess held her staff tightly.

“An army of eagles.”

“Only…we don’t…have an army…of eagles.” Witch frowned at the thought if this legend was true.

“Who needs an army of eagles when we have a dire wolf?” Dwarf Shaman smiled as he motioned toward Wolf.

The party looked toward Wolf who looked back at them tail wagging and he barked loudly.

“Indeed, this one dire wolf is well worth a thousand men.” Lizard Priest nodded in approval of the dire wolf by their side.

“So how many were fighting? Who won the battle?” Rookie Warrior was curious to know the outcome of the battle.

“The story I read said it was roughly an army of 3000 free folk against 25,000 goblins and wolves, although other tales have said the number of warriors in each army were larger. In the end, the free folk won though their numbers had been nearly depleted while the goblins were completely annihilated.” Goblin Slayer clenched his fists tightly as he finished the story.

“I had no idea there was that much detail behind the legend.” Half-Demon Thief was in total awe of this tale, but knew this was no time to be lost in wonder. “My brother told me that these skeletal warriors are the remains that were preserved in the ice and snow from that great battle. The dead are angry from being forgotten and will use this rage to wipe out everything in their path. That’s why you have to request whatever help you can get, she’ll be sure to come by nightfall.”

“Foolish demon, we have the great Hero with us, what more do we need?” Human Commander shook his head before motioning toward the trio of young women.

The three confidently looked over the others and nodded, much to the annoyance of the rest of Goblin Slayer’s party. It was clear to see that this trio and the Human Commander were not taking this threat as seriously as they needed to.

“Even if we could send for more troops, there’s no way they would be able to get here before nightfall.” Honored Uncle shook his head while looking back at Half Demon Thief. “Rest assured this dwarven fortress was built to last, designed by my ancestors to prevent evil from passing through these lands.”

“Then all we can do is wait.” Rookie Warrior sighed as the thought over all the information that had been given to him, the gravity of his position weighing on him greatly.

“Hrm.” Goblin Slayer turned and began to walk out of the room followed by Wolf.

“Well if we have to wait, we’re going to do it with a full stomach.” Dwarf Shaman smiled while patting his big belly.

“Typical dwarf, only thinking about food.” High Elf Archer mused as she and the others started to head for the exit.

Half-Demon Thief could not fathom what was going on, there was an army of creatures coming this evening and the rest just acted like nothing about it. She quickly followed behind the party while the Human Commander and the trio of heroes still frowned at her presence in this fortress. Outside the room, Half-Demon Thief found herself questioning the others as they still spoke of food and rest.

“How can you all be so calm?”

“If we are to panic now, then we will not able to fight at our fullest.” Lizard Priest smiled as he nodded toward the Half-Demon Thief.

“I too am afraid, especially with the thought of this army of the undead approaching…but there is one reason we are able to be somewhat calm.” Priestess smiled weakly while still thinking about her dream, but pushed that idea aside.

“Why is that?”

“Him.” High Elf Archer placed her arm around Half-Demon Thief’s shoulder and pointed toward Goblin Slayer.

Half-Demon Thief looked forward to see the oddly dressed armored warrior walk forward with a bold stride accompanied by the black dire wolf.

“That one is special lass, he is one to keep a calm level head in even the direst of situations.” Dwarf Shaman smiled as he stroked his beard. “If there is any preparations that are to be made, you can be sure that he will have them ready.”

Half-Demon Thief looked to Dwarf Shaman and the others before looking back at Goblin Slayer and too found herself feeling rather relaxed with this man; she sighed before smiling and joining the rest of the party to head for the dining hall. As the approached the dining hall Wolf’s ears began to twitch, his head suddenly jerked up as he looked left and right before barking and heading toward the nearby door. He started scratching furiously barking as he looked back toward Goblin Slayer and the others.

“Understood.” Goblin Slayer walked toward the door and opened it up allowing Wolf to run out into the snow as he followed behind the dire wolf.

“Goblin Slayer?”

“I’ll return shortly.” He followed Wolf closing the door behind him.

“What was that about?” Apprentice Cleric still had a hard time trying to figure out Goblin Slayer.

“I’m sure it’s nothing, if it was something he couldn’t handle he’d have asked for our assistance.” Spearman knew well enough that even if Goblin Slayer was an odd one, he was more than capable of taking care of himself. “Now let’s get something to eat.”

As the group made their way into the dining hall they were greeted by a silvered-haired female dwarf, she wiped her hands upon her apron as she greeted them.

“Alright you lot, let’s get those bellies full before any fighting. It may not be a king’s castle, but I guarantee you get the best damn food around here!”

“With an invite like that, how can anyone refuse?” Dwarf Shaman laughed while patting his belly. “Just know that I can eat for an army.”

“I’ll take that challenge!” Dwarf Cook laughed too before looking over toward the Lizard Priest. “What about you big fella? Any special requests?”

“If it would not be too much of a bother, may I also have cheese with my meal?”

“Such a polite fellow, you keep up that sweet talk and I’ll end up blushing!”

“Any meat is fine with me.” Spearman smiled then thought about the most important item to compliment his meal. “Also a pint of ale to go with it.”

“A man after my heart, but you can’t just stop with one. Now then…” Dwarf Cook then looked over to Rookie Warrior and frowned. “You’re far too scrawny my boy, you need plenty of meat and potatoes to build up them muscles.”

“Th, thank you.” Rookie Warrior smiled sheepishly as he followed the other men to a clear table.

“Now then…this will never do.” Dwarf Cook shook her head as she looked over the women in the party.

The women watched suspiciously as she moved around them, that is until Apprentice Cleric, High Elf Archer, Priestess and Half-Demon Thief gasped in surprise; the cause of which was Dwarf Cook pinching their backside.

“What do you think you’re doing?” High Elf Archer’s face was bright red as she covered her bottom while angrily glaring at the dwarf.

“Could…could you not do that please?” Priestess too was rather embarrassed by what had happened.

“You four are basically skin and bones…how do you hope to snatch yourself a man with so little meat on you? You know men do like their women plump.” Dwarf Cook smiled as she looked over the four women.

“Is that true?” Apprentice Cleric was rather surprised to hear this and her mind started to wonder. “ _Would…would he find me more desirable if I was to put on some weight?_ ”

“Wait…why us, what about her?” Half-Demon Thief pointed toward Witch while still blushing herself.

Dwarf Cook turned to Witch and looked her over before turning back to the four women and smiled.

“She’s already filled out in all the right places it seems.”

The other four women blushed as they looked over their own bodies before looking over the seductive form of Witch, who smiled sheepishly at them all. Their only saving grace was the fact that the men had not noticed as they sat and conversed at the table while waiting for their food.

“You all do have some sort of man in mind right?” Dwarf Cook smiled at the four embarrassed women. “Let me think, is it the dwarf, the lizard…no…is it the man with the spear?”

This time it was Witch who turned her head to the side to hide her blushing face.

“If not him, what about that young warrior?” Dwarf Cook smiled when she saw Apprentice Cleric looked away nervously. “Well I now know which one is after him, but what about you three? Wait…you’re after that armored one with the large wolf right?”

“That’s ridiculous! M, me after Orcbolg?” High Elf Archer crossed her arms while turning her bright red face to the side.

“Sh, she’s right…that would be foolish.” Priestess looked toward the ground her face growing hot as she thought about Goblin Slayer.

“I…I mean I just met him…and I’m part demon…he wouldn’t be interested in that…right?” Half-Demon Thief suddenly pulled her hood up to cover her face.

“That’s all I needed to hear. Now that I got the whole story, it’s time to fatten you up. I’m bringing you all the biggest plates of meat we have.”

“But I don’t eat meat.” High Elf Archer frowned at the thought of this giant plate of food being brought to her.

“I’m won’t hear any of it! Meat’s these best thing for those in love!”

“Uh…are you sure it’s ok for me to be here? Most of the others around here are not very pleased to have a demon around.” Half-Demon Thief grew nervous as she looked around to see many of the other humans, dwarves and elves watch her suspiciously.

“You pay them no attention lass. Your friends here trust you and that armored man outside trusts you too right?” Dwarf Cook smiled as she saw the pink hue cross the half-demon’s face. “Then that’s good enough for me. Now you go sit down and wait until I bring you all the best meal you’ve ever had.”

“Thank you.” Half-Demon smiled and nodded her head toward the dwarf before joining the others at the table.

xxxx

While all of this was going on inside the fortress, Goblin Slayer followed behind Wolf who was running forward through the snow. Goblin Slayer soon heard a sound like crying over the howl of the wind then quickened his pace to keep up with Wolf. Around the left side of the fortress, the white dire wolf growled as three of the shambling undead drew closer to her. She herself could not flee, as one of her paws was caught in a trap, the metal biting into her flesh every time she pulled against it to free herself. As the creature drew near, she back away as far as the metal trap would allow. Suddenly a large shape leapt in front of her, the black dire wolf snarling at the creatures as he tried to protect the other dire wolf.

Wolf charged forward grabbing one of the undead by it leg and pulled back knocking it to the ground. Once the creature was down, Wolf then jumped on top of the creature and savagely bit into the creature neck until it had severed the head from the body. The other creatures stumbled forward but Goblin Slayer then rushed in easily decapitating the first creature then threw his sword forward watching as it implanted itself in the creature’s skull. With the three creatures down, Goblin Slayer checked over them to ensure they were truly dead. Wolf then approached the other dire wolf, carefully checking to see that she was alright, both dire wolves whining at each other and then toward Goblin Slayer.

“Understood.” Goblin Slayer walked toward the two dire wolves then crouched down to deal with the trap. “Hold still.”

Goblin Slayer pulled on either side of the trap, moving them enough to allow the white dire wolf to remove her paw. The white dire wolf limp forward a couple steps looking down at her injured paw, she then turned toward her left to see the black dire wolf approach her. With a whine he bent its head down and began to clean her wound, the white dire wolf then began to lick the side of its face. Both then heard the crunching of the snow and saw the armored man walk around them then crouch down in front of the white dire wolf. From within his pouch he pulled out a white cloth and proceeded to wrap it around the white wolf’s wounded paw.

“You two stay here, I’ll be back.” Goblin Slayer stood before walking toward the front of the fortress.

The two dire wolves watched as this man walked away, the white dire wolf turned it head toward the black dire wolf and began rubbing her head under his. Wolf returned the affection before barking twice, with tails wagging both wolves walked slowly forward to see where the human had gone to.

Goblin Slayer stood before the entrance of the fortress and looked out view before, just as he had at the Padfoot village. From left to right the flat terrain save a few dead trees spread around, now covered with snow, was some 1800 meters across, on either side were earthen walls to keep forces from moving around for a pincer maneuver. From the fortress to the forested area that lay ahead was roughly 900 meters, within the forest was the large path they had taken when they first arrived. He then looked back at the fortress to see the large stone structure extending on either side to the nearby mountain ranges. The top of the fortress allowed for archers to take aim while still being protected, however there were weak points that allowed access to the lower levels of the fortress, such as the entrance to the stables and kitchen, so they would need to be reinforced from within.

“If the army can be stopped before they reach the fortress, then the stone walls should protect against projectiles.” Goblin Slayer looked back at doors that led to the fortress then back to the open field. “If the horde reaches the doors, they will eventually push through and it will be a difficult fight inside with so many people. We’ll need to keep them out in the open.”

Goblin Slayer looked back to see both wolves approach him to which he nodded at both before walking out onto the flat field. After about an hour of walking about, he finished his preparations to help decimate the horde should the swarm grow too large or get to close to the fortress. As Goblin Slayer and Wolf prepared to enter back into the fortress, the white dire wolf stopped, hesitant to enter with them. Wolf barked toward her with tail wagging, she took a couple steps back before looking toward the armored human.

“Do as you wish.” Goblin Slayer turned back toward the door and as he opened it, both Wolf and the white dire wolf casually walked in.

Everyone inside was surprised to see the armored human enter back inside followed by two large dire wolves. The white dire wolf looked around nervously at all the people around her and began to tense up before feeling something along her back. She looked up to see the armored human looking back at her.

“Stay calm, you’ll be fine.”

The white dire wolf relaxed as she looked toward the armored human and Wolf wagging her tail. Goblin Slayer walked back toward his room now followed by the two dire wolves while the rest of the party was left there in awe of what they had seen.

“Orcbolg…another one?”

“She followed behind Wolf. I’m going to rest.”

“Before you go Beardcutter, what are you going to call this one?”

Before Goblin Slayer could respond, both High Elf Archer and Priestess cut him off.

“You are not going to call her Wolf as well Orcbolg!”

“And it can’t be just referring to her as Girl either.”

“Hrm.” Goblin Slayer paused as he looked over the white dire wolf then turned back toward the party and gave his response. “Snow.”

“Why Snow?” Witch was curious to his choice in the name for this dire wolf.

“Don’t tell me it’s because her fur is white like snow?” Spearman asked angrily sighing as he prepared for Goblin Slayer’s dispassionate respose.

“Yes.”

Goblin Slayer turned and began to walk back toward his room, the two large dire wolves following behind him. All of his comrades reacting in their own way to his response, some sighing in frustration while others chuckled.

“Is Goblin Slayer always like that?” Half-Demon Thief looked toward the others at the table for some sort of confirmation.

“Yes, but you do get used to it.” Priestess smiled toward Half-Demon Thief.

“Orcbolg is truly an odd one indeed.”

“I can see that.” Half-Demon Thief turned back to see Goblin Sayer disappear up the stairs.

“Did you notice it though?” Dwarf Shaman smiled as he looked forward to the reaction he would get from this suggestion. “That white dire wolf, a female, was following not just Beardcutter but the Wolf as well.”

“Indeed Sir Mage, I too had noticed that.” Lizard Priest too smiled as he knew where his party member was going with this.

The rest of the party was oblivious to where these two were going.

“If Wolf can find happiness, then even Beardcutter can find someone to make him happy.” Dwarf Shaman smiled before looking around at the girls.

As if on cue, Priestess, High Elf Archer, and Half-Demon Thief’s faces immediately lit up at what they were thinking while the others around them chuckled at the sight. Outside the fortress, near the tree line, a figure in black hid. From behind the trees, he looked over the fortress, checking for possible sentries and guards.

“So dear sister, this is where you are? It disgusts me to think you would turn to the humans after what they’ve done to us. Perhaps a little reeducation is needed.” The figure in black chuckled to himself as he prepared to make his move.

**Author’s Note: I thought it would be a nice treat to have some reference to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Hobbit, from the book and the old animated film. I know there’s already some references within the light novels, so I figured this would be a little nod to all of that. The next chapter will introduce Half-Demon Thief’s brother and the beginning of the long night with the Lich Queen’s horde. I have a training next week over the weekend so it may be coming a little later than I’d hope. Thanks again for all the support and suggestions, see you guys for next time.**


	22. Chapter 22

“Can you believe that those foolish dwarves let a demon in here?”

Along the top of the fortress, two human sentries took their turn patrolling the area for any sign of this coming army. Their shift would end in roughly an hour, but as of now they had seen nothing, and they certainly weren’t paying any attention to the being climbing the side of the fortress.

“I’m surprised by that too, this kind of thing would not have happened if we were in a human fortress. Would have proper beds and meals too.”

“When this battle is over, we’ll deal with that demon…who knows maybe the king will reward us as well.”

“I’ll deal with her after I’ve dealt with you.”

A cold voice spoke to the two men, the first turned to see a figure in black cloak fluttering in the wind with twin daggers in hand. With a quick movement he swiped his left dagger to the side decapitating the first sentry then turned toward the second sentry and before the other could react, threw the dagger in his right hand forward. The blade planted itself in the sentry’s face up to the hilt, the second sentry stood for a moment or two before toppling over. The figure in the black cloak then retrieved his dagger and tucked both away behind his back.

“Now…where are you little sister? Maybe if I kill a few more you’ll show yourself.” He looked over the ledge of the walkway out in the distance and smiled as the sun began to set. “Soon this wretched place and all those inside shall become salves for the Lich Queen.”

xxxx

“What do you think Scaly?”

“About what Sir Mage?”

“This battle we are to face, and the new girl with us?”

“The young Demoness seems to be a trustworthy individual, she has come to share her story with us and has thus far done nothing to arouse suspicion. As for this impending battle…I do not have a precise answer for you yet. We can at least take solace in the fact that like with the Beast Master we will not have to fight alone.”

“True enough, we have our fellow silver rank Spearman and the young warrior with us.” Dwarf Shaman smiled as he looked over to see the sleepy Spearman and Rookie Warrior, preserving their strength for the coming battle. “Now that I think about it, where has Beardcutter gone?”

“He mentioned something about getting Wolf ready for the coming battle.”

“And the other dire wolf…Snow?”

“She’s with the girls, Milord Goblin Slayer asked that she keep them safe. The others have also been having fun with this new wolf or so I gathered.”

xxxx

In the next room, the girls too slept after their rather large meal, for the spell casters it was the most important thing to save their energy for the spells they were to cast. Half-Demon Thief frowned as she tossed and turned, a feeling of unease coursing through her, not just from the coming battle but from something she could not explain. She opened her eyes expecting to see the ceiling above, but instead saw a figure in black with bright yellow eyes looking down at her. The moment she attempted to scream, the figure violently placed a hand over her mouth and brought a dagger in his other hand towards her throat.

“I could have killed you at least six different ways, has you’re time with the humans made you this weak?”

“ _Brother._ ”

“How the hell can you associate with humans? After what they did to mother…father…you and me? I’m going to let you speak, you so much as raise your voice above a whisper and I’ll start killing these people you associate with.” The figure in black, Half-Demon Assassin, removed his hand covering her mouth but kept the blade by her throat.

“These people here are different, they protected me from the Armored Skeleton. I wanted you to come with me away from her.”

“She’s going to wipe out all these races and you want me to abandon her, which means you’d also abandon your only brother as well. The humans have turned you against me.”

“She’s the one turning you, the moment she’s done with us we will be nothing more than food for her horde. Surely you can see that.”

“She would not betray us, we serve a purpose for her. My instructions were to bring you back alive or silence you, so it seems that you’ve helped me come to a decision.” Half-Demon Assassin suddenly used his free hand to grab her by her throat, crushing her wind pipe as he raised his dagger up high. “Know that I don’t have any malice toward you my sister, I do this to save you from the torture the humans will inflict upon you.”

“You’ll be dead before you draw your next breath.”

Half-Demon Assassin slowly turned to see an elf ranger with bow and arrow drawn aimed directly at him. His moment of distraction was all that Half-demon Thief needed to break free and move toward Priestess’ bed. All the commotion awoke the other women who could look on with surprise at the figure shrouded in black with a dagger in his hand. He hissed toward the elf while slowly moving his other hand toward his second dagger.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

“Or what elf, you and the others will kill me?”

“No, she will.”

Suddenly he heard the growling of a strange animal, and as he looked toward his right saw a large white wolf snarling as it stalked toward him. The wolf leapt forward snapping her jaws at the assassin who fell backwards off the bed narrowly avoid the bite of the large wolf. He quickly stood and ran toward the door slamming into it with his shoulder, forcing the door open as he fell to the floor.

“Damn it!”

Then he heard the growling of the wolf once again, but it was not coming from behind him but from his right side. As he looked up from the floor, there was a black dire wolf clad in armor with glowing red eyes and behind it was an armored figure with red eyes himself. At first glance, the assassin thought it was an undead, but could sense the malice coming off this figure, enough to make him shiver.

“Wh…who the hell are you? What are you?”

“Goblin Slayer.” The armored man drew his sword as he and the dire wolf moved forward toward the person in black.

Half-Demon Assassin jumped back away from Goblin Slayer and the dire wolf just as the other adventurers poured out of the rooms. With a wave of his cloak, the figure disappeared before them, the rest of the adventurers were left surprised by his actions.

“Where the hell did he go?” Spearman hissed as he looked down either side of the hall.

“He’s using Stealth.” Half-Demon Thief gasped for air as she gently massaged her bruised neck. “It’s an ability that completely masks one’s presence, until they decide to strike. I know of it too.”

“Then we…Orcbolg, what the hell happened to Wolf?”

The party turned to see the large black dire wolf now covered in armor. A thin layer of chainmail covered his body with silver and red armor plating was wrapped around his body and legs. A helmet of the same color markings covered his head yet still allowed for him to move with ease, and two large spots for his ears to protrude. Down the center of his back was a black saddle area with a silver wolf ornament decorating the riding horn. The armored dire wolf looked toward the party curiously then began to wag its tail when it saw the female dire wolf.

“It seems the gift from the black smith was armor for Wolf. A note said it would be useful in protecting him from bites from the undead.” Goblin Slayer looked down at Wolf then looked back to his party. “Who was that individual?”

“That was my brother…he was sent here to kill me.” Half-Demon Thief found herself trembling at the thought of her only living relative now trying to kill her.

“We need to go after him, he couldn’t have gotten far.” High Elf Archer frowned as she placed her arrow back in her quiver but kept her bow ready.

“How do we find him though…if he can mask his presence from us, he could be anywhere.” Rookie Warrior looked around the area thought was cautious of a sneak attack.

“If…we are…unable to find…the assassin…perhaps these…dire wolves…can find his scent.” Witch smiled as she looked down at the two wolves.

“I’m sure these two will…wait, how did he get in here?” Priestess was suddenly at a loss for words as to how this demon could have entered this supposed impenetrable fortress.

“She right, weren’t there guards watching the front?” Apprentice Cleric also worried at how that demon could have gotten into the fortress, let alone into the same room as them.

Dwarf Shaman went pale, the girls were right, there had been guards stationed to make their rounds every two hours, the next change was not scheduled for quite some time.

“Scaly! Beardcutter! You two come with me. The rest of you search for this assassin, alert the others, I fear something has happened and we’re running short of time.”

Before the others could say anything, the three ran off for the nearest stairwell and made their up, the remainder of the party ran back toward the dining hall with the two dire wolves to begin warning the others around. From the shadows, using stealth to hide himself, Half-Demon Assassin watched as the two groups sped off to start warning the others in fortress.

“ _Damn it, I hadn’t expected a High Elf or those two giant wolves to be protecting her. I don’t know what lies you fed them, but it’s only a matter of time before you die, either by my hands or by the horde._ ”

xxxx

“This is terrible.” Dwarf Shaman looked over the two dead bodies that lay upon the floor.

“Truly dreadful, these poor souls.” Lizard Priest bowed his head and placed his hands together as he prayed for those lost.

Goblin Slayer walked toward the ledge and looked over the side, but thankfully saw no one else attempting to scale the walls. He then looked upward toward the forest for the smell of rotting flesh was carried over the wind, and as he looked out, could not see anything in the darkness but could hear the heavy footsteps of the approaching army and the sound of drums.

“They’re coming.”

Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest rushed to the wall by Goblin Slayer and too heard the sounds of the drums and what sounded like chanting. Dwarf Shaman rushed over toward the large golden bell that was on the opposite side of the wall and taking the rope in hand and began to pull. As the bell began to rock back and forth, the making a loud gong-like sound, echoing through the fortress. Everyone within the fortress could hear the sounds and quickly went about getting themselves ready. The elves went for their bows and arrows and rushed to set themselves up along the battlements atop the fortress as this the human marksmen. Some of the dwarves set themselves up by the catapults inside the courtyard behind the defensive walls of the fortress, while others took to the two smaller catapults along the battlement. The rest of the dwarves and humans took up their weapons and stood within the courtyard behind the massive wooden gates awaiting the order to advance or defend.

Honored Uncle, Elf Leader and Human Commander, along with the Hero and her party joined Goblin Slayer and the others in the center battlement looking over the battle field. Spearman and the others joined back up with Goblin Slayer but there was no sign of the demon assassin. Everyone looked out and saw two figures emerge from the tree line riding atop what looked like huge, demonic horses. The first was a tall figure completely surrounded in black save their massive golden crown on their head, the other figure appeared to be a skeleton in black armor.

“That’s her…the Lich Queen.” Half Demon Thief found herself shaking as she looked at the imposing figure on horseback.

“What of the other one?” Hero was curious about this other figure beside the lich, forgetting about the demon she was speaking with.

“That is the Armored Skeleton…the commander of this army. He is truly a dangerous as well, be careful around him.”

Behind them was the skeletal army, each covered in light armor, the first wave included skeletal warriors beating drums with what looked like human bones, while others beside them walked forward with poles in hand, but instead of a flag, on each pole was the impaled head of various races. Then one row after another emerged, each skeletal figure chanting in some forgotten language. The skeletons varied in size, seeming to corroborate Half-Demon Thief’s claims that these were the remains of the five armies of legend. Behind the more humanoid skeletons was a row of large skeletal figures, possible trolls and behind them was a massive skeletal dragon, flecks of gold shining from its bones.

“My word…a dragon.” Lizard Priest was in complete awe of this massive skeleton. “How dare she rouse such a noble creature from its slumber.”

“That is assuming it’s not the evil one from the legend.” Spearman grunted as he looked over the army of skeletons.

“That golden shine…is that gold imbedded in the bone?” High-Elf Archer pondered what was causing the reflective shine.

“Gold…covering the bone…that will be…most troublesome.” Even Witch frowned as she looked over the army.

“Ushtar ro avhe vadokan, gith glorausan ûr lav-li, izubu gothlob ro garmadh, lich gothlob, miukavreukuk ro avhe vadokan!” The army of the skeletons chanted this phrase over and over as they followed behind the Lich Queen and the Armored Skelton.

“What the hell are they babbling about?” Spearman grew irritated at the repeated phrase.

“It is black speech…a language used by the forces of evil from a much darker time.” Lizard Priest frowned as he heard this strange language.

“Even I did not know of such a language among the demons.” Half-Demon Thief continued to tense as the chanting grew louder and louder with each passing moment.

“I’ve read of it, but never got around to learning how to speak it myself.” Dwarf Shaman watched as the skeletal army walked forward row after row.

“Can you translate it?” High Elf Archer looking toward Lizard Priest, she too knew of it, but was unfamiliar with the translation of the words.

“Army of the dead descend, all honor for her, our queen of ruin, Lich Queen, mistress of the dead.”

All eyes fell on Goblin Slayer who looked over the army with both dire wolves on either side of him.

“Milord Goblin Slayer, you know black speech?”

“My master made sure that I was well versed in different aspects, should the goblins use black speech, however I have yet to hear them say anything in that ancient tongue.”

Before they could even comprehend the size of this army of skeletons, behind them emerged the reanimated undead, the horde was indeed far larger than what had been expected. Human Commander stood there with wide eyes as he and the others took in the sight of the army, far larger than what they had expected. The undead stopped behind the army of skeletons, not moving any further, but moaning so loud it drowned out the howl of the wind.

“Why aren’t they moving any further? They’re just standing there.” Rookie Warrior grimaced at the stench carried by the wind.

“This Lich Queen, must be controlling them.” Goblin Slayer’s response was as cold as the air around them. “If we slay her, the rest should die.”

“You make it sound so simple.” Female Swordmaster looked toward at this armored warrior as if he was a fool.

“Did you find the assassin?” Dwarf Shaman clenched his fists as he watched as more and more of the undead army emerged from the forest.

“What assassin?” Human Commander looked toward the party with a look of worry.

“Her brother broke into the fortress to silence her, but before we could catch him he vanished.” Dwarf Shaman explained the situation to the others.

“There’s another demon in here?” Human Commander looked toward Half-Demon Thief angrily. “You damn filthy creature, just how many of you monsters are in here?”

“I didn’t summon my brother here you damn ass.” Half-Demon Thief glared at this stupid human.

“Did you not hear that she was attacked by him? How he tried to kill her? Clearly he’s any enemy to her.” High Elf Archer too grew mad at this man’s accusations toward her companion.

“You must not be fooled by this demon and her tricks.” Hero frowned at this party with the demon in their group. “Perhaps this was a ploy to make you drop your guard.”

“Listen here young one!” Dwarf Shaman sternly looked toward Hero and her party while pointing his finger at them. “Hero or not, you do not go around falsely accusing any of our companions. You have not gotten to know her as we have, so don’t judge her like you know her.”

“You stupid dwarf, how dare you talk to the hero like…”

“That’s enough.” It was a stern cold voice that stopped the bickering. “Their army is ready.”

All eyes once again looked toward Goblin Slayer, his gaze only focused on the army of the undead before the fortress. The others felt foolish for their petty arguing before the battle, and quickly refocused themselves for the task at hand. There was a look of both awe and fear as they gazed upon this army of undead led by the Lich Queen, easily more than ten thousand soldiers, still chanting their battle song in black speech.

“This is bad…if that army breaks through the gates, we’ll be trapped like rats.” Spearman tightly griped his spear.

“Worse yet…if they get past us…the rest of…the countryside…will be devoured.” Witch took one last puff of her pipe before knocking out the ember.

“When the undead get close enough, have your archers fire a volley of flame arrows.” Goblin Slayer’s comment was directed toward the Elf Leader.

“Flame arrows…you, uh Orcbolg, you must know how elves feel about flames, besides flames arrows will not be very useful against skeletons.”

“They are only a distraction for what I have planned.” Goblin Slayer then turned toward High Elf Archer. “I will need you skills once again.”

“I’ll be ready…wait, what do you have planned this time?”

Goblin Slayer stood their silently as he looked at High Elf Archer and the others.

“Orcbolg?”

“I will apologize later.”

“Orcbolg! What are you going to use?”

“What did you do?” Hero asked, completely lost with the banter between these two.

“Earlier I went about and prepared for their assault.”

“How…how could you prepare if you weren’t sure about what you would be facing?” Sage too was curious what this armored warrior had done.

“Goblins hope to ambush their opponents, but never expect to be ambushed themselves.”

“But…we’re not facing goblins.” Female Swordmaster was puzzled by his cryptic remark.

“I know.” Goblin Slayer nodded.

Goblin Slayer’s friends and comrades smiled at his remark, while the rest were left wondering what was going through his head. It was Honored Uncle who laughed, intrigued by this boy’s uniqueness, before giving the armored warrior a hearty clap on the back.

“You’ll have your flame arrows Beardcutter.”

xxxx

“Is he still inside the Fortress?”

“Yes my queen, but I still see the young thief up along the top of the fortress. He must have failed or been caught.”

“But he is still alive.” Lich Queen looked up to see Half-Demon Thief and smiled beneath her black shroud at the terror upon her face before addressing the fortress. “Surrender yourselves to the horde. Serve me and I shall make your deaths as painless as possible.”

“You and your damn army of the undead will be defeated her and now!” Human Commander shouted down with confidence. “The great Hero is with us! The one who vanquished the demon lord! You have no chance!”

Hero and her party stood confident as they looked down at the Lich Queen and her army. Though they could not see it, Lich Queen was smiling rather sinisterly at the thought of facing this Hero.

“Then let us begin.” Lich Queen dismounted her steed and slowly walked forward with hands turned upward toward the sky, she looked toward the spell caster by Hero and began chanting.

Sage grew annoyed at the pointless waiting game and raised her staff to the sky to rain down a barrage of lightning bolts upon the army, but found that nothing was coming. She tried to summon her spell, but was unable to speak the words needed to produce the spell.

“What’s wrong?” Hero was worried as she looked toward Sage.

“I can’t cast my spell! I can’t use any of my magic against her!”

“Dispel! Damn that monster! We can’t use any magic directly against her!” Honored Uncle slammed his fists down upon the stone.

“Dispel huh…then let’s see her try to dispel this!” Hero raised her sword high and began to power for the spell used to destroy Hecatoncheir. “Sun Burst!”

A light illuminated the night sky, yet Lich Queen and her army made no attempt to flee, instead Lich Queen simply gave a simple wave of her hand and waited for the blast to consume her. Goblin Slayer could recognize that something was wrong and quickly went into action to protect those around him.

“Cast Protection.”

“Wait, what Goblin Slayer?”

“What…what’s going on?” Half-Demon Thief too was confused by the sudden change in Goblin Slayer.

“Now!”

Goblin Slayer’s quick snap shook Priestess, but she quickly nodded and went to work casting her spell. The others looked around with worried looks until Priestess had thrown up the invisible barrier in front of them.

“Get down!”

The cry went out, but few were able to react to the warning both above the fortress gate and within the courtyard. The moment Sun Blast came into contact with Lich Queen, the spell was reflected back at the fortress. The blast struck the fortress, in an instant, half of the archers along the top of the fortress were reduced to ash while others were blown away, falling to their deaths. The force of the blast destroyed the gates of the fortress and severely damaged other sections of the walls. The debris flew back within the courtyard crushing both dwarf and man who were not able to flee. Protection itself was destroyed, but those behind it were protected long enough to avoid significant damage. With Sun Burst cast, more than two hundred now lay dead and the fortress was open for attack. Goblin Slayer and the others slowly stood, only to be horrified at the state of the fortress and the dead soldiers that lay around them.

“Do you fell that my Armored Skeleton…that fear that is filling that ruined fortress.” Lich Queen laughed as she looked over the effect of Magic Reflect. “Let us add to that! Move the horde in.”

“At once my queen!” With battle ax raised high he gave the command to his forces. “To the fortress, leave none alive.”

The army of skeletal warriors heeded the call of their commander and began to march forward, after all there was no rush to slaughter the remaining forces. The various undead maneuvered around Lich Queen prepared to take any and all will to fight from these mortals.

“By the power of hell, heed the call of your mistress and take the will to fight out of them all…Fear!”

A glow of red light surrounded Lich Queen before flying forward in the form of a red mist, this mist passed through the fortress and enveloped everyone within. No one could have expected this form of attack, the moment the mist enveloped them, nearly every person in the fortress collapsed to their hands and knees screaming as the horrors within their minds seemed to manifest themselves. Goblin Slayer and those beside him were not immune from the attack as most screamed in fear, even Wolf and Snow yipped and howled as if they were in pain.

“How delicious, you can taste the fear.” Lich Queen smiled but then paused as she looked toward the top of the embattlement and noticed one warrior in armor still on his feet, he was not immune to Fear, but managed to avoid completely giving into his fear as the others did. “Fascinating…he must be one of strong will…I should like to study him more one he has become one of my servants.”

Goblin Slayer struggled to stay on his feet and had to place a hand upon the stone to keep himself from falling. Goblin Slayer gave his head a quick shake as an attempt to clear his head, but as he looked around all he found was darkness around him, there was no sign of the fortress or his friends.

“Welcome to your personal hell boy.”

Goblin Slayer turned toward the voice, one that he knew well, but the person should not be able to speak any more. There he was, a man in dirty, blood-stained leather armor, his left arm dangled hideously from its shoulder and blood ran from the wound by his neck. The man smiled at Goblin Slayer even as the blood continued to run from his wounds and pooled around him.

“Beast Master.”

“I’m honored that you have not forgotten about me. I certainly will not forget you.” Beast Master smiled as he saw Goblin Slayer instinctively go for his sword to which he laughed. “Come now, there’s no need for that, besides I’m not the one you’ll have to worry about…it’s her.”

Goblin Slayer could see Beast Master was pointing to something behind Goblin Slayer. He turned around, still gripping the handle of his sword, but released it as he saw the figure before him. A young women with light brown hair in braid resting upon her right shoulder, her once plain, but lovely, clothing was now stained in blood.

“Sister.”

“You…you did this to me!” Goblin Slayer’s sister angrily screamed at him. “You were weak and pitiful…you should have protected me…I should have lived a long peaceful life!”

Goblin Slayer was silent as he stood and looked at his sister before slowly waking forward. His sister watched as he drew closer, knowing full well he would draw his sword to cut her down, continued to scream at him. If he struck her down, he himself would fall further into madness.

“I gave my life to save you…why did I have to die while you lived? I see you living happily on that farm…with that girl…surrounded by all your friends…why did you take my happiness away?” Goblin Slayer then stopped as he stood directly in front of her. “This is all your fault!”

“You’re right.” Goblin Slayer moved forward, his sister expecting him to strike her, but instead was shocked when he hugged her.

“What…what are you…”

“It was my fault. I should have taken you and we could have run. I should have stayed to defend you even if you told me to hide.” Goblin Slayer broke the hug to look at his sister, still keeping his hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry that I failed you…but I will do all in my power to help others avoid that same fate.”

His sister looked at him, wanting to yell as the spell required her to, but instead broke into tears as she hugged her brother.

“I miss you so much! The last time I saw you, you were so small, but now look at you…grown into such a fine man.” His sister smiled as she looked over her brother or rather was looking up at him. “I wish we could stay together longer, but you need to go back and save your friends.”

She broke the hug and began to slowly back away, tears still in her eyes but a smile across her face.

“Sister…” Goblin Slayer reached out for her, but watched her move further away.

“I’m so proud of you…and will continue to watch over you until the time we are able to meet again. Farewell my brother.”

The visage of his sister vanished before him, after a few moments he allowed his arm to return to his side before turning back to face Beast Master.

“You’re grief and fear were supposed to destroy you, but you have a strong will indeed. I can see why I lost to you.”

“I have no time to deal with you, the others need my help.”

“You really think you can stop the Lich Queen and her army? Do you really think you can save them all?”

“I won’t know until I’ve tried.”

Beast Master frowned at this young man then smiled as he motioned with his left hand toward his side, beside him was door of bright white light.

“Then show me what you can do boy. I too will be watching your exploits from the edge of hell with great interest.”

Goblin Slayer charged forward the doorway, the moment he was through he found himself back along the fortress and could see the army marching forward and the rest of his friends still writhing and screaming, he would have to hurry and get his friends out of their state of fear before the undead entered the fortress.


	23. Chapter 23

“Goblin Slayer stop!”

Goblin Slayer had reached out toward Dwarf Shaman’s shoulder to wake him from his nightmare when he heard the feminine voice call out to him. He looked around, but saw none but his comrades still under the effects of Fear. One look back toward the open field and he could see the army marching forward, in a few short minutes they would easily enter the destroyed gate.

“An effect of the spell…I must wake them.”

“Please listen Goblin Slayer, you must not wake them with direct force.”

“Reveal yourself, whoever you are.” Goblin Slayer reached for his sword as he looked for the source of the voice.

“I am the one who healed you in Mountain Pass. The spell of the Lich is very powerful, using ones fears against them, only those of extremely strong wills or who have conquered their own fears can break the spell. If you wake them now, the shock would be enough to destroy their hearts.”

“Then how should I proceed…the army will be here momentarily.”

“You must help your friends within their minds. Close your eyes and I shall guide you to the nearest one, from there, lend them your strength. Once you’ve aided my little one, have her use Holy Light…it shall dispel the fear without harming anyone.”

“Understood.” Goblin Slayer closed his eyes and placed his trust in this mysterious voice.

Lich Queen looked on with surprise at this armored figure who had already managed to break her spell. She was not able to hear the conversation between him and the disembodied voice, but figured he was now trying to wake his friends from their nightmares. A smile formed beneath her shroud at the thought of turning this mysterious figure into one her slaves…he may even be worthy enough of being like the Armored Skeleton.

xxxx

She found herself beaten, violated and on the verge of death within the darkened goblin lair, the only thing keeping her from completely collapsing to the floor were the manacles and chains bound around her wrists and neck. Like the other elf they had seen on their first quest with Orcbolg, now High Elf Archer had become their victim. She could hear the goblin cackles all around her, but before here were the shadowy outlines of figures, ones that looked like her party members.

“Help…me…” Her voice strained from the constant screaming after the hours of torture.

“Why aid a useless elf like you?” The voices came from all of them but were warped from what she was used to hearing. “Your sister was right, we should have found a better ranger than you. You are nothing but a burden, your capture was your own fault…the least you can do to atone for your failure is to die as quickly as possible.”

High Elf Archer looked toward them with wide eyes, tears running down her face as their words echoed in her mind.

“ _How…how can you abandon me? Am I really that worthless to you all?_ ”

“Do not listen to them.”

It was a mechanical voice that sounded near her before a sword struck the chains tethering her to the wall. The moment the chains were cut her body fell forward, it felt heavy, and she was too tired to stop herself from falling until strong hands caught her. Her tired eyes looked up to see a man in dirty leather armor looking back at her.

“I have you…you are no burden.”

Tears welled up in her eyes as he threw her arms around this man, hugging him tightly while sobbing like a child. Goblin Slayer was hesitant at first then gently placed his arms around her gently patting her the back of her head.

“Orcbolg…thank you…thank you.”

“Listen…what you have been seeing is an illusion…you are not in a goblin lair…your body is fine.”

High Elf Archer looked at him, unsure if what she was seeing was also part of the illusion or if what he was saying was the truth. She looked down at her nude form, covered in blood and wounds, she closed her eyes concentrating on what Orcbolg had mentioned and when she opened them found she was back in her normal attire, her wounds completely gone. She then looked back toward Orcbolg to see him standing and offering her a hand, which he happily took as he helped her back to her feet.

“Can you still fight?”

“Of course Orcbolg, but what about the others?”

“I will help them too.”

High Elf Archer suddenly gasped as she opened her eyes and saw that she back on top of the ruined fortress. She looked back to see her friends and comrades still under the effects of the lich and off to the side was Orcbolg standing perfectly still. She smiled at the thought of him coming to rescue her and quickly recovered her bow to be ready for his instructions.

xxxx

“You…you were supposed to help us…you worthless…”

Dwarf Shaman cradled his dying uncle in his arms while looking ahead at the burning fortress and the hordes of the undead assaulting and feasting upon his friends. The look of utter defeat present on his face, how had this happened, how had he failed to help his uncle in his time of need.

“Honored Uncle…I’m…I’m sorry.”

“What good are you apologies now…you damn useless nephew…I should never have trusted you to…”

Honored Uncle gasped for air before his arm went limp and hit the ground, Dwarf Shaman could not stop the tears that ran down his face as he yelled in ager at his stupidity. Suddenly he felt a heavy hand upon his shoulder, he turned expecting to see one of the undead come to feed on him, but instead saw Goblin Slayer looking back.

“Beardcutter…”

“You need to listen, none of this is real…your uncle has not fallen yet.”

Dwarf Shaman gasped at what he was hearing ad when he looked back found his uncle gone and the flaming fortress gone as well. Dwarf Shaman sighed in frustration of being tricked by the Lich Queen, he dusted his clothing off as he stood to face Goblin Slayer.

“Thank you Beardcutter. What happens now?”

“I will continue to help the others until I find the girl, she can dispel this evil.”

xxxx

Lizard Priest looked up to see the ghost-like figures of the ancient dragons looking down upon him with disdain.

“You have failed to destroy the evil that you swore to accomplish. Your inability to complete this task is the very reason the Lich Queen has conquered this land. Her hordes devour everything in their path…including your people.”

“O powerful ancestors…I did not intend to fail…I…” Lizard Priest could not think of any excuse that he could give to explain his short comings, he lowered his head in shame.

“Be silent you wrym…no even labeling you as such would be too high a praise! You had hoped to become a dragon…what a laugh! You friends were depending on you and look at how you have failed them.”

“No he hasn’t.”

Lizard Priest turned to see Goblin Slayer approaching, he was sure his friends had perished in the fight with the lich and yet here he was.

“Milord Goblin Slayer…you are alive?”

“This is not real…a trick of that creature.”

“A trick…then the battle is not lost?”

“Her army is coming, help the Dwarf and Elf, I will help the others.”

“At once Milord Goblin Slayer.”

Lizard Priest opened his eyes and slowly stood to find Lady Ranger and Sir Mage preparing arrows for the archers as Goblin Slayer had asked. He quickly went to work to aid them in whatever capacity he could.

xxxx

Half-Demon Thief ran from the mob of people angrily chasing after her, but she was no longer the person at the fortress. She had changed to a young child, still clutching her stuffed toy, blood running from various wounds she had received. She ran until she found herself up against a wall, with her back against it she cowered as the mob drew closer. Every man and woman in that group either smiling sinisterly or glaring at her all the while they readied their weapons.

“Please…leave me alone! I’ve done nothing to you!”

“You mere existence is a sin! You should die and rid us of your foul presence!”

“No…we should capture it and then sell it to some lord or the king as a slave. Think of the money we could get from this demon.”

“Why? What did I ever do to any of you?”

“You were born you damn monster!”

Someone in the crowd hurled a rock forward, Half-Demon Thief closed her eyes waiting for the rock to hit her, but instead heard the sound of it hitting something metal. She opened her eyes and saw a figured in dirty leather armor, with a small round shield attached to his left arm, standing before her.

“You will not harm her.”

“She’s a demon…they deserve to be killed!”

“I will protect those who need my help.”

“Gob…Goblin Slayer.”

“You need not be afraid, this is an illusion.”

“The Lich Queen!”

Half-Demon Thief cursed silently for not realizing that she was under her influence. She looked down at the stuffed animal in her arms, lamenting her lost childhood, but soon realized that she would have to break this spell. With a sigh, her body reverted back to her adult form, free from any damage; she then looked back at Goblin Slayer and immediately blushed at the thought of him coming to save her.

“Thank you.”

“Was that how your childhood was?”

“After being discovered…yes.”

“You shouldn’t worry, the others trust you and so do I.”

Half-Demon Thief looked at him with wide eyes, once again indicating how her being a demon did not bother him or the others around her.

“I won’t let you down sir.”

xxxx

Both Wolf and Snow were shackled to the ground and each was beaten by humans and goblins. Every time snow was struck by the humans clubs, Wolf snarled and snapped as he tried to aid her but was unable to move any closer. Wolf then looked forward to see the goblins cackling as they held the bodies of his pups before him, then skewered the bodies and held them over an open flame. Both wolves growled at the humans and goblins who sneered while preparing to strike their bodies once again.

“Get away from them.”

The goblins and humans turned to see an armored warrior with sword drawn. The vile humans and goblins rushed forward to attack, but were easily slaughtered by the armored warrior; once finished, Goblin Slayer moved toward the wolves and quickly undid their shackles.

“Are you both okay?” Goblin Slayer knelt to down to check both wolves.

Both wolves nuzzled up against Goblin Slayer then took turns licking his face, or rather his helmet. Goblin Slayer grunted as he gave both wolves gentle pats along their heads before standing once again.

“Good. Keep the others safe, I’ll return soon.”

xxxx

Spearman was down on his hands and knees, unable to grasp the situation before him. There was Goblin Slayer sitting upon a throne and one either side of him were the various women fawning over him. Guild Girl and Witch caressed his arms and chest, but Goblin Slayer did not care, only looking down at the pathetic looking warrior before him.

“You really thought you’d be the better warrior than me? You’re a loser! Worthless! What woman would love you?”

“You damn hack! How dare you look down on me!”

“How dare you speak that way to Lord Goblin Slayer!” Guild Girl glared at Spearman while she wrapped her arms around Goblin Slayer’s neck. “He is more of a man than you could ever hope to be!”

“You…are not…even worth…wasting breath on.” Witch smirked at the sight of this man on his hands and knees. “You…were holding me…back.”

“Not you too…I thought…”

“Enough.”

All heads turned to the side to see Goblin Slayer walking forward until he was now beside the downed Spearman.

“Goblin Slayer! I thought…” Spearman looked back to see the visage of the girls and the other Goblin Slayer slowly fade away with a sigh he hung his head low. “It…it wasn’t real…”

“Are you okay?” Goblin Slayer held out his hand to aid Spearman.

“Of, of course I’m alright!” Spearman knocked Goblin Slayer’s hand away as he stood himself. “I’m surprised that you would even show up.”

“We are comrades are we not?”

Spearman looked toward Goblin Slayer, completely shocked to hear him being referred to as Goblin Slayer’s friend. In his mind, they had been rivals (although Spearman was the only one who was aware of this), and yet somewhere along the line, there had been a level of respect that had been built between them.

“Yeah…I guess we are comrades. So, what happens now?”

“Continue to aid the others, I will continue on myself until the Priestess has been awoken.”

“The Priestess…what makes her so special?”

“I’m told that see can undone this curse.”

“Is that right? Then better get to it Goblin Slayer!”

xxxx

She found herself along the floor of the darkened cave, body convulsing as blood ran from her mouth the cause of which was the dagger in her belly. She weakly looked around to see the state of her fellow party members. Warrior had been tore apart, pieces of what remained of his body thrown all around the cave. Wizard lay dead from the poison on goblin’s blades, her clothing torn as the goblins savaged her body while she was still alive. Fighter too lay dead off to the side, her neck broken after the hobgoblin grew tired of her.

“How…how did this…happen…”

“Because you are too weak.”

She looked forward to see a figure in dirty leather armor killing the last of the goblins before turning toward her. Even if she could not see his face behind his helmet, she could feel the cold, unfeeling gaze he cast upon her.

“Help me…please…”

“Why? What good are you if you couldn’t even help your party?”

“Please…I beg you…”

“I do have an antidote. Just reach for it.” This figure withdrew a vial of green liquid from his bag and placed it along the floor.

Priestess struggled to reach for the vial, her body burning and feeling like it was weighted down with steel. Just as her fingers nearly reached for the antidote, the armored figure brought his foot down crushing, shattering the bottle into hundreds of tiny pieces. Priestess gasped at the sight, she then looked bak at the armored figure to see him chuckle sinisterly.

“Goblin Slayer…why…”

“Because I don’t need a weakling slowing me down. I could have vanquished all the goblins by now if not for you…it was a mistake to save you.”

Priestess eyes were wide as she heard Goblin Slayer’s comment, tears running down her face, at this point she could not see any reason to try and fight her impending demise. Goblin Slayer chuckled sinisterly as he walked towards her drawing his sword, then stopped as he towered over her.

“As a final act of mercy, I shall put you out of your misery…and mine.”

Goblin Slayer raised his sword, ready to plunge it into Priestess neck when a blade suddenly flew forward and struck his chest. Goblin Slayer screamed in pain as blood spewed from his wound while Priestess could only look on with wide eyes as the man she knew fell landing on his back. She struggled to turn her head to see what had struck him and gasped as the sight of Goblin Slayer walking towards her.

“Gob…Goblin Slayer?”

“Are you okay?” Goblin Slayer knelt down to check on the injured Priestess.

“I…but you…”

“That was not me. Look.”

Priestess looked once more to see the other Goblin Slayer dissolving, all that remained was Goblin Slayer’s sword which clattered to the ground once the false version had vanished. Priestess was shock then looked back to see Goblin Slayer extend his hand to her which she gratefully accepted. With a quick movement, he helped her back to her feet, the previous pain she had been feeling was gone.

“I…I don’t understand.”

“This is the work of the Lich. It is an illusion, look behind you.”

Priestess turned and could see the bodies of her former party members also vanish, she looked down at her stomach and realized that the wound she received was gone, all the pain she felt had been in her head.

“You are not a burden.”

Priestess looked toward him and watched as he retrieved his sword before turning back to face her.

“I heard what he said. As I told you, I trust your judgment and appreciate all your help.”

“Goblin Slayer…” Priestess struggled to hold back the tears in her eyes.

“I will need your help.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“The one who healed me in Mountain Pass…what did you call her?”

“Earth Mother!”

“She said you would be able to break the Lich’s spell.”

“What? Me! How?”

“Use Holy Light…the light will dispel her curse.”

“Of course sir…right away!”

xxxx

Priestess snapped back to reality, carefully looking around to see many of the others were still under the effect of Fear, but saw that the rest of her party was quick to set up arrows along the wall in readiness for the archers once they had recovered. Down below in the courtyard, Spearman and Lizard Priest were gathering bits of debris to be used for the undamaged catapults below. Both wolves walked over toward her and like with Goblin Slayer rubbed up against her, waiting for her to pet them, which she did with a big smile.

“Lass you’re back.”

“I take it Orcbolg got you out of that Fear spell right?”

“Yes, did he also…”

“Indeed my dear, we were most fortunate to have him aid us.” Lizard Priest gave a happy shout as he loaded up one of the stones into the catapult.

“He even managed to help me out of that situation.” Half-Demon Thief looked over at the still motionless Goblin Slayer.

“Wait, this is no time to be losing focus. I have a job to do!” Priestess looked out to see the army of the undead, the skeletal warriors marching forward drawing ever closer to the fortress and raised her sounding staff high and began the chant. “O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, grant your sacred light to we who are lost in darkness…Holy Light!”

Suddenly a bright light not only covered the top of the fortress but rather engulf the entire fortress, the skeletal army halted in their tracks as they saw the sight. Even without eyes in his skull, Armored Knight and the Lich Queen were forced to shield their eyes from the light, Lich Queen looked back with wide eyes as the red mist of her spell had blown away.

“That accursed light! Damn that spell caster…how did she break free from Fear? Wait…it was him, that armored being!”

Everyone inside the fortress woke from their trance, each looking around at their surroundings, checking to make sure they were back in the fortress. Several had died from their fright, while others had to bear the shame of having soiled themselves from their fears, but now was not the time for such trivial thoughts. Hero and the others awoke to find Goblin Slayer standing tall as he walked toward the ledge, many of them still on the ground, their legs still weak from their fear.

“The horde is coming.”

She and the others quickly got back to their feet and rushed forward to see the damage from Sun Burst and the horde of the undead standing in place.

“We got the arrows ready Orcbolg!”

“Good.” Goblin Slayer then turned toward Witch who had finally recovered. “Can you set the tips ablaze?”

“A…simple task. Also…thank you…for… removing…that spell.” Witch gave a wave of her hand and chanted the phrase. “Brilliant Inflammarae.”

Instantly the tips of every arrow were surrounded by a purple flame.

“Those who can fight on the front lines get down here and join me!” Spearman called out to those still atop the fortress.

“When I give the signal, have all the archers launch the flaming arrows.” Goblin Slayer gave this simple instruction toward Honored Uncle and the others leaders then turned toward High Elf Archer. “Do you see those four trees toward the front?”

High Elf Archer looked out and did indeed see four trees spaced out across the battlefield and atop each one she could clearly see a circular clay object securely tied to them.

“Orcbolg…those better not be what I think they are!”

“You may strike them in any order you wish.” Goblin Slayer then turned toward Wolf and Snow. “Stay with them and keep them safe.”

The two wolves barked and wagged their tails in response to the armored man’s voice. Goblin Slayer gave a nod of his head before rushing down the stairs to join Spearman and Lizard Priest, followed by Dwarf Shaman and Rookie Warrior. Hero and her party could only watch all this, completely dumbfounded by what had just transpired, but Female Swordmaster and Hero quickly rushed after them to join in the battle. The dwarves and humans in the courtyard quickly went to work loading the catapults while the rest of the army readied themselves.

“So, what do you want to do Goblin Slayer?” Spearman smirked as he looked over at the oddly dressed armored warrior.

“I am used to dealing with goblins. I will defer to your judgement.”

“It would be a mistake for us to try and fight them in here, our best bet is to defend from outside and fall back in need be. I trust you have some sort of plan though yes?”

“I do.”

“Then let’s have the magic user up front to assault the army, and after the first spell warriors will move forward.”

Although hesitant, the elves, dwarves and humans quickly followed with Spearman’s plan. With the forces spread out in front of the fortress, the skeletal warriors turned toward Armored Skeleton for direction.

“What are you waiting for you bags of bones? Slaughter those fools! Charge!”

The army of skeletal warriors gave out an unholy yell before rushing forward, the surviving warriors grew nervous at the sight of the charging army. Goblin Slayer and the others however were calm and waited for Goblin Slayer’s signal. The moment the closest skeletons were within range of the wooden pole near them Goblin Slayer gave his order.

“Now!”

The archers along the fortress took up the flaming arrows and fired their volley; Lich Queen and Armored Skeleton saw this, but paid it no mind as this rain of flaming arrows would not be a problem for the skeletons that were being targeted. As Goblin Slayer had hoped, the army was taken in by his distraction and now High Elf Archer’s arrows took flight, one after another. While the other flaming arrows hit armor and the ground near the skeletons, High Elf Archer’s arrows struck each clay sphere easily igniting the contents. Upon impact, the grenados exploded easily destroying the skeletons and catching them by surprise. Lich Queen and Armored Skeleton, along with the others in the fortress, were completely shock by the sudden explosions around the army.

“Spell casters and catapults, shoot!” Spearman gave the shout

While their army was in disarray, the spell casters chanted their spells and fired various projectiles at the skeletons before them. From rocks to fire, lightning to ice, the skeletal soldiers were easily destroyed, now allowing the warriors to switch places with the spell casters and charging forward to meet the army.

“You miserable worms…I have no choice but to settle things myself.” Lich Queen’s eyes flashed red beneath her shroud as she angrily moved forward to slaughter all before her.

**Author’s Note: Thanks for everyone’s patience, I at first wanted to include every character’s nightmares, but then realized that alone might have taken some ten pages for every person. Instead I decided to focus on the main party, Spearman’s “fear” was just something thrown in for fun…and NO I’m not shipping Goblin Slayer and Spearman, it’s completely platonic (For those who are disappointed, my apologies).**


	24. Chapter 24

“Fire!”

No one was sure who exactly gave the order, but both sides let loose with their projectiles. The archers and those within the fortress launched a barrage which managed to destroy some of the skeletal warriors and a few of the reanimated undead, but the Lich Queen’s fortress let loose a volley of arrows themselves, sending hundreds of arrows into the air. Those who were not able to get behind cover or not wearing sufficient armor were struck by multiple arrows. Their early charge had pushed the skeletal warriors back, but now all they could do was delay the army from gaining ground, yet little by little they were being pushed back toward the fortress.

“That’s the last of my spells.” Priestess’s final Protection shattered upon the last volley, but she had managed to protect her companions along the wall.

“We can still tend to those who are injured and prepare arrows.” Apprentice Cleric replied, both happy and frustrated that she was not able to be down upon the battlefield with her friend.

“I should be down there…helping my friends.” Sage lamented at having her magic abilities be completely useless in the battle while Female Swordmaster and Hero continued to battle the army of the undead.

“This is no time for feeling sorry for yourself!” High Elf Archer’s response was curt, but given their current, that was to be expected. “Like our cleric said, there is still plenty for you all to do.”

“Over here…I got wounded who need attention!” Half-Demon Thief grunted as she carried the injured elf over toward the others.

Behind her, both Wolf and Snow followed with injured people carried along their backs.

“She…is approaching.” Witch frowned as she could see the towering figure in the black shroud coming up behind the force of reanimated undead. “The…Lich Queen…appears to be…quite angry.”

The others rushed to the ledge and too saw the figure, not sauntering toward the fortress, but marching with purpose, perhaps more annoyed that the battle had been going on for as long as it had been.

“Never mind that…that skeletal dragon in moving in fast!” High Elf Archer launched another arrow to strike as many of the undead as possible. “I need more arrows!”

“Understood.”

Priestess rushed toward the side to pick up the fallen arrows of the enemy, when a dagger flew forward. Half-Demon Thief rushed forward and using her own daggers knocked the blade out of the air and took up a defensive stance before the stunned Priestess.

“Damn your interference!”

They all heard the voice, but could not see who had said it or where the blade had come from. Half-Demon Thief knew her brother was the culprit, but his skill with Stealth was far greater than hers.

“Do not hurt them brother…we should be working with them against the Lich Queen!”

“I won’t let you speak of her in that manner. You shall be the first to go then!”

Unbeknownst to them, even Half-Demon Thief, her brother had already maneuvered behind her and with an unseen blade was ready to cut her throat. Before he could attack though, he heard the growl of a wolf and one look to his right saw a large wolf, whose fur was white as snow. The creature tackled him to the ground, undoing his Stealth spell, to which he used his daggers to keep the wolf from biting his face.

“Brother!”

“Damn you…get away you beast!” Half-Demon Assassin quickly slashed at the wolf’s face, making the beast yelp with pain and jump backwards.

Half-Demon Thief panted heavily, but smiled at having driven back the large dire wolf, but that action brought with it new dangers. He suddenly heard loud growling and when he turned toward the other side he could see the other dire wolf actually charging at him. In his panic he jumped over the side of the ledge just as the black dire wolf’s jaws snapped at the location where he had been. He used his daggers to dig into the wall and keep from falling the courtyard below, with a quick swing of his legs, jumped to another pathway inside the fortress and proceeded to run.

“We have to go after him.” Half-Demon Thief watched as her brother ran further from her.

“Then what are we waiting for, let’s move before he does any further damage.” High Elf Archer already started to run after the assassin.

“I shall…remain here…to aid…the others.” Witch smiled and gave a nod of her head.

“I’ll stay behind as well to help with the injured.” Apprentice Cleric added.

“As will I.” Sage was unsure how long the Dispel effect would last, but found that she was still unable to use her magic.

“I will too.” Priestess smiled then bowed her head toward Half-Demon Thief. “Thank you for saving me.”

“It was no trouble, well we’ll be off then.”

Just as the two girls started to run after Half-Demon Assassin, they both heard the bark of the two dire wolves, turning they found both Snow and Wolf running toward them. The wolves came to a halt near the women and barked, High Elf Archer figured out what they were thinking though Half-Demon Thief was still confused.

“Thank you Wolf.” High Elf Archer quickly jumped onto Wolf’s back then looked back toward Half-Demon Thief. “Hurry and get on.”

“Are you sure?” Half-Demon Thief looked toward Snow, unsure if it was really the best idea to jump onto the wolf’s back. ”She won’t bite?”

“You’ll be fine, now hurry, he’s going to get away if we wait to long.”

Half-Demon Thief leapt onto Snow’s back, and just as High Elf Archer said, the wolf did not growl but looked back at her. With a bark from Wolf, the two took off after Half-Demon Assassin, while the battle raged outside the fortress.

xxxx

“Damn you!” Spearman moved his spear in a graceful manor as he decapitated the nearest skeletons while parrying others. “There’s just no end to these things.”

“Indeed, much more difficult to deal with than goblins, yet my blade will deliver the final blow to these monsters.” Lizard Priest too slashed left and right at the creatures around him while keeping an eye on his comrades around him.

“They’re…quite skilled.” Rookie Warrior was then pushed back by the strike from one of the skeletal warriors but quickly caught himself before falling to the ground.

“Hang on lad.” Dwarf Shaman quickly launched a rock with his sling, shattering the skeleton’s head before standing back to back with the young warrior. “You alright?”

“I’m…not used to all this combat.”

“Don’t you worry, you’re doing just fine. You and me…we’ll watch each other’s back in this fight.” Dwarf Shaman loaded a new rock into the sling and prepared to launch once again. “What of Beardcutter…I lost sight of him in the battle?”

Lizard Priest and Spearman looked around, though the scene was anything but calm, it was then they both caught sight of worn red tassel fluttering in the wind. There was Goblin Slayer battling against the undead with a sword in his right hand and a torch in his left. Not anywhere as graceful a fighter as Spearman, Goblin Slayer could easily and affectively swap from offensive to defensive. The others smiled knowing that he was safe, but knew now was not the time to let their guards down.

From around the battlefield were the shouts and screams of those fighting and being killed. A human knight yelled as he brought his sword crashing down upon the skull of one of the undead, while not more than five meters away from him was a female elf screaming as the creatures held her down and through sheer force began tearing her arms and legs off to feed upon. Armored Skeleton himself was laughing as he cut his way through the various warriors, he looked around at the chaos fully enjoying the mortal races being slaughtered and devoured. What’s more he could not help but smile as mortals would rescue their injured comrades only to find them turned into the undead and then feeding upon their former rescuers.

“ _The full force of our army in now upon the battlefield, even our Queen is here to fight._ ” He then looked behind him to see the massive skeletal dragon they raised from the frozen lake stomping forward, crushing the mortals under its massive feet. “ _Let’s see what they can do to even slow this beast down._ ”

“Dragon!”

Goblin Slayer and the others heard the shout from behind, and looked forward to see the monstrous skeleton stomping forward. Boulders launched from the catapults within the courtyard struck the monster but seemed to have no effect. Men and women screamed as its feet crushed those beneath it while its massive jaws clamped down and tossed aside the mortals around it. Goblin Slayer grunted as the monster drew closer, but rather than run away like the others around him he slowly walked forward.

“Milord Goblin Slayer!”

“Beardcutter! You damn fool, get away from there!”

“What the hell do you plan to do Goblin Slayer? Get back to the fortress, they’re going to overrun us!”

“I have a plan.” Goblin Slayer calmly sheathed his sword, jammed the torch into the muddy ground and then reached into the bag behind his back to retrieve an item.

“I don’t know what he has planned, but if it’s one of those grenados, I doubt even that will have enough power to stop that thing.” Dwarf Shaman looked on curious to see what Goblin Slayer would do.

“That gold infused in the bone has made it quite durable…surely Milord Goblin Slayer knows that this is folly!”

Though it had no eyes, the skeletal dragon turned its sights at the one human in armor that stood before him. While the others ran, this one dared to challenge him, with a roar and its jaws open wide it charged forward. Lizard Priest started to rush forward to help his friend, but then saw that Goblin Slayer held a scroll within his right hand.

“Scaly…is that what I think it?”

“I would assume so Sir Mage.”

Just as the dragon was within a few feet of armored human, Goblin Slayer unraveled the scroll facing it toward the monster. Instantly a bluish light bathed the battlefield and little by little the bones of the dragon began to crack until its skeleton finally blew apart, the force of the attack continued to fly forward and easily tore through several skeletal warriors and undead as well. When the light faded, the remains of the destroyed undead were now surrounded by water. Those who had been running stopped and looked in awe at the sight of the broken dragon, Armored Skelton too was shocked at this as his jaw hung for a few moments.

“What the hell…do I smell the sea?” Spearman was completely confused as to what had transpired.

“That was a Gate Scroll…I had it linked it to the bottom of the sea.”

“Beardcutter. When did you get another one of those?”

“The Blacksmith at the Guild had procured one for me, and I had the Witch set the location for me like last time.”

“A Gate Scroll…you kept something like that in your bag…and used it as a weapon?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know whether to be angry or relieved.”

“It did stop the dragon.”

“A fine job indeed Milord Goblin Slayer, and although it pains me to know we had to slay a dragon, I can at least take solace in the thought that the noble beast can finally rest in peace.”

“The dragon is down! Push the offensive!” Human Commander, although unable to comprehend how this man had brought down the dragon, would not allow this opportunity to elude them.

The men, dwarves and Elves cheered as they turned and rushed back to face the army of the undead. Armored Skeleton was at a loss for the destruction of the resurrected dragon, that he did not notice the young human soldier rush forward and ram his sword through the skeleton’s gut. Armored Skelton looked down, shocked this human would attempt such a foolish attack, then in his rage at the attack and the defeat of the dragon brought his battle ax down cleaving the soldier in two.

“This should have been a simple slaughter…how dare you flesh creatures force us to work this hard! How dare you defy my Queen!”

Hero and Female Swordmaster too had seen this defeat of the dragon by the odd armored human, and would not allow themselves to be shown up by a mere silver ranked adventurer. They redoubled their efforts and cut their way through the undead catching sight of the Lich Queen decimating the soldiers that attempted to attack her. With a wave of her hand eight warriors were immediately frozen solid and then with a swipe of her sword, she shattered the ice sculptures before moving forward.

“The Lich has finally shown herself!” Hero smiled at the thought of defeating this monster and putting an end to the army of the undead.

“Then let us settle the matter!” Female Swordmaster charged forward, completely forgetting how she criticized the Goblin Slayer for thinking the same thing.

The Lich Queen turned toward the side to see the lone female charging at her and tilted her head slightly. With a heroic yell, Female Swordmaster swung her sword and watched as it clashed with Lich Queen’s blade. The two struck blades over and over, or rather Female Swordmaster continued to press the attack yet the Lich Queen merely blocked using one hand, never moving from her spot.

“ _Why? I’m putting everything I have into these attacks, but I can’t push her back? Why?_ ” Female Swordmaster grunted as they struck blades once again and pushed forward, but once again found she wasn’t able to gain any ground.

“Are you finished my dear? Would it be okay for me to take the offensive?” Lich Queen struck at Female Swordmaster and with the single hit forced her to back up several steps. “You are indeed a capable warrior, but no match for me!”

It only took two more swings for her to knock the blade from Female Swordmaster’s hands and knocked her to the ground. Her body covered in mud and slush as she skidded to a halt on the ground, she looked up to see the Lich Queen walked forward, her long curved sword still in hand, her own sword on the ground several feet from her.

“You get away from her you damn monster!”

Lich Queen stopped to look up and see a young woman with reddish hair leaping high in the air, spinning as she brought her sword crashing down to cut the Lich in two. Hero, used her Agility to get the height and began to spin in hopes of using the centripetal force to strengthen her attack, in one move she would destroy the Lich Queen as she had the Demon Lord, save her friend and destroy this army.

“Too bad for you, but the Hero has arrived!”

The Lich raised her sword, but this only made the Hero smile, this foolish monster would try to defend itself of course, but that would not make a bit of difference, and her blade struck…but could not break the Lich Queen’s sword. Hero’s face was one of shock and disbelief and she gripped her blade with both hands and pushed forward, but found her holy sword was not working as she had expected. Her friend still laying in the mud too was shocked by this, then watched as Hero swung her sword in a mad frenzy to break the Lich Queen’s blade but only saw sparks fly. Completely exhausted by her failed attack, Hero could only pant as she took a couple steps back looking at her sword as if it were the cause of her failure, but soon looked up to see the Lich Queen chuckling before laughing in a sinister manner.

“How unfortunate! So this is what the Hero is capable of…pathetic!” Lich Queen struck Hero with the back of her free hand knocked her to the ground to join her friend.

Lich Queen continued to laugh, but soon stopped when she noticed the Hero sword lying on the ground. She reached down to touch the blade, but the moment she even grazed it a burning sensation surged through her hand. She recoiled her hand, cursing the holy weapons passive ability to keep demonic hands from touching it, but took solace in the thought that if it was out of the hands of the Hero, it would not be a problem for her. She turned her attention to both girls, chuckling at the sight of them cowering before her, so afraid were they that they had wet themselves in fear of this creature that towered over them.

“How…that sword is the very one that slew the Demon Lord.” Hero wanted to back away further but found her body would not respond.

“The Demon Lord you say? This shows how little power that title holds.” Lich Queen’s sword vanished as she stood before the girls shaking her head. “There have been so many beings who have claimed to be The Demon Lord…all that is needed is some demon to think they have a bit more strength or power than other demons and they suddenly proclaim themselves as the resurrected or reincarnated Demon Lord. It really is quiet sad.”

“But…aren’t you trying to revive the Demon Lord yourself?” Female Swordmaster was shocked to hear what the Lich was saying, they figured she was an Acolyte of Chaos as the others they had dealt with.

“Why would I revive someone weaker than myself?” Lich Queen looked down at these women with disgust at their suggestion. “I have been around for centuries, since the age of the gods to see the rise and fall of various demon lords. There is only one being I would have served, but alas his time has come and gone.”

“One true lord?” Hero was not sure but speculated there was the lingering tone of a lost lover in the Lich’s voice.

“He made the mistake of infusing his entire soul within one horcrux.” The Lich Queen was silent as she thought about the former Dark Lord. “ _Of all the things to put your soul in…a single piece of jewelry. He was either over confident or naïve when that decision was made, but now none of that matters._ ”

“Then…if you’re not here to resurrect the Demon Lord, then what is your goal?” Hero was curious to know what the monster was after.

“Peace.”

“Peace?” Both girls were confused as to her response.

“Yes, peace. Look around you…the mortal races can’t go one lifetime without starting a war. From Elves to dwarves to humans to demi-humans…even the lesser races like goblins who steal and murder to satisfy their selfish desires, all do nothing but cause trouble for others. That is where I shall come in, with my horde I will wipe out all mortals! Once this world has become a dead world, when everyone is but a servant to my will, then the world shall know true peace.”

“You’re insane.” Hero grew more afraid of this monster and her twisted idea of peace for everyone.

“Perhaps, but you won’t be around long enough to question me any further. Your skills have earned you a place within my army, but as you are right now…you’re no good to me alive!”

Lich Queen lunged toward the girls, beneath her shroud two red lights representing her eyes flashed as she neared the still cowering girls. Both girls screamed clinging to one another tightly, but soon saw the Lich Queen had stopped. The Lich Queen mere feet from them looked around the battlefield, what she was looking for was lost to these scared young women.

“What…what is this I’m sensing…this rage, but…it focused like a sword.” Lich Queen continued to look around the chaotic battlefield until she found the source of this odd sensation.

There off in the distance was an oddly dressed armored figure, stained red from the blood of the undead. This figure eyes were ablaze as it swung its sword to decapitate the monsters from her horde and then used the torch both as a club to smash their skulls and then to set their clothing on fire. As she watched the figure, it did not appear to be breathing hard from the constant movement, in fact it did not appear to be breathing at all.

“This thing…is it an undead…but not one of mine. I must know.” Lich Queen started off toward the armored figure completely forgetting about the Hero and her companion.

Goblin Slayer stood there with arms outstretched as a way to gauge how far each opponent was from him. Around him were multiple bodies of the reanimated undead, yet for some reason the other creatures would not come any closer. Goblin Slayer then noticed that both the skeletal warrior and the undead started to back further away, and suddenly felt a chilling presence behind him. He turned with weapons ready to attack but soon realized that the creature behind him was not another undead, but something else. He looked up to see a massive figure in black, save a gold crown atop its head, looking down at him curiously.

“How strange.” The Lich Queen looked over this being before her reaching out with her fingers as if to discern if this thing was actually there. “You’re not an undead…a piece of cursed armor then, no…I sense you are still alive, yet you don’t seem quite human. Are you a demon?”

“No…I am Goblin Slayer.” The armored man responded as he now examined this tall figure before him. “Are you a goblin?”

“A goblin? Me?” The tall figure looked back at Goblin Slayer and chuckled to herself. “I am a Lich.”

“I see…so I was mistaken.” Goblin Slayer calmly put his sword back in its sheath but kept his grip on the torch tight.

“It would seem that we both were. You amuse me, I’ve taken a liking to you and will make you mine.” Lich Queen replied as she examined the armored man.

“I am not property to be bought or sold.”

“True...but I’ve been watching you for some time. You withstood my spell, found a way to defeat my dragon and even drew my attention away from my prey with your menacing presence. We’re I mortal, I too might be intimidated by you, and it is because of that…that spirit, that I will make you one of my generals.”

“I have no interest in joining your army, my only goal is to slaughter the goblins.”

“The goblins? Is it this form that is keeping you from joining me willingly…if it will aid in you serving me, I can find one more alluring to you humans.” Lich Queen gave a wave of her hand and a red mist smoke enveloped her body.

Goblin Slayer stood ready and watched as the plume of smoke grew smaller and when it finally vanished, a rather voluptuous woman stood before him in a black gown. Her long cascading hair blowing in the wind, to anyone looking at her, they might mistake this form for a beautiful human, but her eyes were solid black save the bright red pupils that looked over him.

“Now then…my dear Goblin Slayer, surely this form is more appealing to you than my last. I will assume whatever form you wish…you need only serve me.” The beautiful Lich Queen smiled as she gently placed her hand upon his chest and looked up at the helmet filled with darkness. “If you serve me, I will aid is slaughtering all the goblins for you.”

“You will help me slaughter the goblins?” Goblin Slayer carefully reached into his bag with his free hand.

“But only if you will serve me. Become a general of the undead like the Armored Skeleton.”

“I think not.” Goblin Slayer leapt backwards and as he did threw a vial of strange liquid at the Lich Queen, which easily shattered and its contents splashed all over her. “You may kill the goblins, but in doing so would revive them as a far worse force than they are now. I will not allow you to do such a thing to harm others.”

“Fool! I give you this chance to join me and you refuse! You little distraction won’t do you any…what…what is this liquid you covered me with?”

“Gasoline.” Goblin Slayer tossed his torch forward and the moment it touched her gown, the Lich Queen was engulfed in flames.

The Lich Queen screamed as her body burned forcing her to back away from the Goblin Slayer, this human form was always far more susceptible to harm than her true form, but thankfully she was not forced to remain in such a state. Goblin Slayer once again drew out his sword, just as the burning figure suddenly exploded in a plume of black smoke. The smoke began to rise and finally solidified back to the tall figure that once stood before Goblin Slayer. The figure stood with its back to Goblin Slayer, light trails of smoke traveling off its body from the fire earlier.

“I must admit…that was an unexpected move…but I am no simple undead.” The Lich Queen turned to face Goblin Slayer, the shroud covering its face gone from the fire, and now all could see her skeletal face and the bright red lights for eyes within her skull. “I will make you mine…especially for what you have done to me.”

“You are welcome to try.”

xxxx

“Brother stop this now.”

Half-Demon Assassin continued to run from the girls atop the dire wolves, making sure to kill a couple of the archers along the way to aid his Queen. High Elf Archer let loose arrow after arrow, but he always managed to dodge by the narrowest of margins. Just as he prepared to kill another elf, Half-Demon Thief launch one of her daggers at her brother, determined to keep him from taking another life, at the same time High Elf Archer launched another arrow. Half-Demon Assassin growled angrily as he knocked his sister’s dagger to the side, but then caught sight of the arrow. Unable to dodge as he had before, the elf’s arrow struck his left leg forcing him to hit the ground yelling in pain. Down below, the Lich Queen heard the cry of her assassin and knew she needed to act quickly before things grew troublesome for her.

“No!”

In a flash of red light, she once again transformed herself into a cloud of black smoke and effortlessly flew towards the sounds of her downed subordinate. Half-Demon Assassin pulled the arrow from his leg and saw the dire wolves drawing closer, before he could crawl away, a plume of black smoke appeared before him taking the form of the Lich Queen. The dire wolves stopped as they looked up at the imposing figure, instinctively they growled to protect those on their back, but for the two girls and those around them there was an overwhelming sense of fear. The Lich Queen looked down at the wolves then set her eyes upon Half-Demon Thief, for the young thief it was as if she were looking into the eyes of Death himself.

“I will deal with you another time…you wretched traitor.” She then turned to look upon her injured assassin. “You damn fool…do you realize how much trouble you would have cost me had I not been here?”

“My apologies my queen.”

She got hold of the injured half-demon and effortlessly picked him off the ground. Once again there was a flash of red light and both form changed to smoke and flew from atop the fortress to the battlefield below, once back on the battlefield both rematerialized. She had Half-Demon Assassin mount her demonic steed before getting on herself.

“My queen?” Armored Skelton called out at the sight of the Lich Queen on her horse, the broken body of dwarf soldier in his hands.

“Fall back…we are in no rush to take this fortress.” Her demonic horse turned and started back toward the forest.

“All forces…return to the castle.” Armored Skelton growled as he and the others were forced to retreat.

The skeletal warriors and the horde of the undead turned themselves, completely forgetting about their opponents as they got back into formation and marched behind their commanders. The rest of the warriors watched this both with surprise and relief as the army finally pulled back. One look around the battlefield showed the bodies of the dead from both sides, and the actual size of the survivors that had made it through the long night. As the last of the undead disappeared into the woods, the first rays of the sun finally began to break through the clouds bringing with it a new day.

“So…we won right?” Rookie Warrior asked completely exhausted from the hours of fighting.

“Won…hardly.” Spearman sighed as he sat down upon a large stone using his spear to help keep his body upright. ”This was an act of mercy…if the battle had continued we would have eventually been overwhelmed.”

“It is as the Armored Skeleton said…they are ones who can fight without feeling fatigue. Even with Milord Goblin Slayer’s precautions, we were only delaying the inevitable.”

“Which means the next time they come…we won’t be able to stop them. Not the best outlook there Scaly.”

“Then we need to prepare for tonight.”

The four turned to see Goblin Slayer marching forward, even after all he had done still not showing signs of being tired, or rather forcing himself to continue to stand. Off in the distance, both Hero and Female Swordmaster picked themselves out of the mud and snow and retrieved their weapons before making their way back to the fortress with the other soldiers, they turned to see the odd silver-ranked adventurer speaking with his companions.

“You really think they’ll be back tonight Goblin Slayer.” Spearman asked as he struggled to stand back up.

“We are tired, outnumbered and low on supplies. Now would be the perfect time to strike.”

“Is that what goblins would do Beardcutter?”

“Yes.”

“Do you by chance have more of those explosives Milord Goblin Slayer?”

“Only one more…it won’t be enough for the army. I have a plan though.”

“A plan to do what Mr. Goblin Slayer?”

“Reduce their numbers and make the fighting more equal to our terms, however we will need to start now even if we are tired.”


	25. Chapter 25

“So…so many were lost last night, and many did not have to die.” Honored Uncle sighed as lowered his head, before him with dozens of dwarven soldiers now draped in sheets, of course after making sure any infected were granted merciful deaths. “What are our losses?”

Elf Leader and Human Commander too had the tired defeated look about them as they sat about wooden benches in the courtyard. Within the courtyard, those with the strength brought in the dead while others tended to the injured, but for most the relief of having survived the long night with the undead changed to grief and sadness as they were forced to see many of the own friends die and in usually a very horrifying manner. As the battle had continued, the three leaders had too gone to join the others fighting on the battle field, they themselves could not hold their heads high if all they did was simply give orders from the safety of the fortress.

“We’re still trying to determine an exact number, but as of right now our fighting strength is a little more than seven hundred.” Elf Leader sighed as he wiped the grime from his face.

“By our estimate, we managed to defeat roughly four thousand of the undead, that doesn’t account for the number of own forces turned and added to her army. That would still leave about 11,000 to deal with maybe more…how the hell are we supposed to stand up to such a force?” Human Commander had a haunted look about his face as he realized that their forces were outnumber more than a hundred to one.

Off in the corner section of the courtyard was Hero and her party, all three women looked toward the ground or off in the distance. The embarrassment of looking so feeble before the enemy while others were able to fight against her and her army was overwhelming, at the same time the realization that they had nearly died that night weighed heavily on them after a year of such success in their adventurers. The girls looked up to see the oddly dressed silver-ranked warrior meeting the rest of his party members who had descended from the tower, including the demon girl from the previous night. Female Swordmaster growled angrily at the thought of the silver-ranked adventurer, standing up to the lich while she and her friend could only cower before the monster. She stood and marched forward to give this man a piece of her mind, while her friends looked on with wide eyes.

“Wait…stop…” Hero called out to her friend as she too stood to chase after her.

“Where are you going?” Sage too followed after Female Swordmaster.

xxxx

“I have to say Orcbolg, that was a pretty clever tactic with those grenados…but I told you before those were not allowed on quests!”

“I felt they would be effective…I made sure not to throw them.”

“Throwing them wasn’t the point Orcbolg!”

“I thought we agreed they were very dangerous Goblin Slayer?”

“What are you all talking about? That was amazing down there!” Half-Demon Thief was smiling as she recalled the use of those explosive items and his scroll. “I’m not sure what any of that was, but it worked so well against the undead…I had no idea you were this ready for Lich Queen’s forces.”

“It…was pretty amazing…how he defeated the dragon.” Apprentice Cleric smiled sheepishly.

“Indeed…I’m glad…my services…helped. You…are certainly…resourceful.”

“Don’t tell me you’re all on board with Orcbolg’s crazy plans?”

“Come now Long-Ears, surely you can forgive Beardcutter this time since his craziness helped us.” Dwarf Shaman smiled as he stroked his beard, though it too was soiled from the night of battle. “Besides which, it’s only because of Bearcutter that any of us were able to break free of that Fear spell.”

“I have not forgotten, I…wait, that means you saw me!” High Elf Archer gasped as she finally realized that Goblin Slayer had seen her naked, though her body was covered in blood and grime, he had seen her naked.

She immediately covered her chest, while glaring at Goblin Slayer with her ever reddening face. The others were curious as to what had happened, although Goblin Slayer stood there motionless. High Elf Archer smiled as she turned her head to the side, not sure if her face could get any redder as a new thought crossed her mind.

“You best not tell anyone what you saw!” High Elf Archer’s ears flapped quickly, in truth she was happy he had seen her, but wished it had not been in that manner.

“I won’t.”

“Anyway, what was your plan earlier Gob…”

Before Spearman could finish, Goblin Slayer was rather unceremoniously pushed from behind making him stumble forward, but fortunately he managed to catch himself before falling to the ground. Everyone turned to see Female Swordmaster angrily staring back at Goblin Slayer and his group before being joined by a confused Hero and Sage.

“What the hell were you thinking out there? You’re damn interference kept us from defeating the Lich last night!”

“Swordmaster that’s enough!” Hero pleaded with her friend in an effort to calm her down.

“Who the hell do you think you are to go and talk that way to him!” Spearman stepped forward tightly gripping his spear as he looked down at this young girl before him.

“I am a member of the Hero’s party…the one who defeated the Demon Lord…one who has helped save the world!”

“And that gives you an air of superiority over the rest of us because the gods favor you?” High Elf Archer walked right up to the young girl and gave her a shove.

“Don’t you dare touch my friend!” Now it was Hero who snapped back.

“Then you tell her to keep her hands to herself and don’t have speak that way to my friends.” Half-Demon Thief stepped forward pointing a rather accusing finger at Hero and Female Swordmaster.

“What would a demon know about friends?” Sage snapped out her initial shock and glared at the young demon girl.

“At least she helped with the wounded and even went after her brother to keep him from killing others, while you, a member of the Hero’s party stood around feeling sorry for herself!” Apprentice Cleric now felt the need to interject herself into this argument.

“Is that right?’ Rookie Warrior looked toward the trio of heroes with shock then a look of angry frustration. ”So while we were down there fighting for our lives against the undead, you just stood around weeping that you could not use your spells?”

The groups continued to argue back and forth, hurling insults and occasionally pushing one another, even Priestess, although timid at times, knew she had to step in and defend her comrades, though she refrained from insulting the others. All this commotion drew the attentions of the others within the courtyard who watched the groups of adventurers argue.

“Enough!”

The shout came from Lizard Priest who had been watching the events from the side, knowing full well that at least one among them needed to be the voice of reason

“Here is the truth of the matter, you three are indeed very capable adventurers and have saved the world, but that overconfidence has made you careless and the Lich Queen took full advantage of that. Had our party not been here, had Goblin Slayer not thought ahead to have our Earth Mother Acolyte cast her protection, you three would have been destroyed by your own attack! If Goblin Slayer had not drawn that creature’s attention from you both of you, she would have killed you.”

The three women growled in frustration, but then sighed in resignation, because what the Lizard Priest had said was indeed true. Lizard Priest also knew that admonishing these three would not solve any of their problems and turned toward his own party members to address them.

“Now is not the time to be fighting among ourselves, this enemy we face is more than dangerous than anything we have encountered before. The only hope any of us have defeating this great evil is to work together, it is as Milord Goblin Slayer says, we must prepare for tonight or the horde will over run us and then this massive army will go unchecked.”

“Correct as ever Scaly, we need to…wait where’s Beardcutter?”

Everyone looked around only to now realize that Goblin Slayer, along with both Wolf and Snow had disappeared. It was then that Priestess caught sight of them over by Honored Uncle, Elf Leader and Human Commander and immediately the adventurers made their way over toward them.

“You want us to do what?” Human Commander looked toward this armored adventure like he was crazy.

“I want two large trenches dug in front of the fortress.” Goblin Slayer then drew out his sword and began to draw a rough sketch of the area in front of the fortress in the mud. “The area from earthen wall to earthen wall is about 1800 meters. I want two large trenches dug roughly 200 meters from the gate, each trench should be about 850 meters wide, nearly 30 meters across and 3 meters deep. This will leave a smaller path way of 270 meters between the two trenches.”

“Could you clarify why you need these trenches to be so…specific?” Elf Leader was slightly confused by Goblin Slayer request.

“Is this some sort of tactic you use against your goblins? These things are not little, insignificant monsters, we’re talking about the undead here…something you obviously have no experience in fighting.” Human Commander’s disdain for this oddly dressed adventure was clear for all to see.

“You are correct, I have not dealt with these things before, so I am basing this off my observations from yesterday.” Goblin Slayer’s response carried no emotion with it as he did not care what others thought of him. ”The trenches need to be deep because I want them filled will all the oil you have here in the fortress so they can be set ablaze.”

The rest of his party as well Hero’s party joined up with just as he mentioned setting the trenches on fire. Needless to say those that didn’t know Goblin Slayer that well yet, like Half-Demon Thief and Hero’s party were shock by what they heard.

“These…undead, appear mindless and their main strength is numbers, they will march forward and plummet into the trenches. The smaller pathway will limit the enemy forces to a few hundred instead of several thousand.” Goblin Slayer pointed out on the drawing in the mud before looking back toward the leaders. “This should put us on more equal footing when dealing with these creatures.”

“An interesting plan indeed Beardcutter, I can see why my nephew sought you out to join him, but the detail you’re asking for…this will take hours to prepare.”

“He’s right, what we need to do is focus on retreating.” Human Commander looked at the plan in the mud and shook his head at thought of this being useful to them. “From there we can strengthen our borders and prepare for a counter attack.”

“You won’t make it far.” Half-Demon Thief looked toward the leaders with wide concerned eyes. “Her horde is always present in the forest.”

“Didn’t she have her forces withdraw to her castle?” Hero turned toward the young demon, whatever anger was there the previous night had been gone.

“I’m not sure why she pulled back, but she would not have brought the full horde back with her, they would be spread out in the fog filled forest and would descend upon you all adding to her growing army.”

“Then we’re stuck here…just waiting to be devoured.” Human Commander slumped down into his chair and covered his face with both hands.

“That is why we must prepare.”

The three leaders looked up at the dispassionate voice that came from the figure in the dirty leather armor. Like them, he too was covered in mud, grime and gore from night’s battle and had aided in helping overcome the Lich’s spell, so perhaps there was something to his odd plan.

“We’ll have to have our people work in shifts so that the labor doesn’t fall on one particular group.” Honored Uncle stood ax in hand then looked toward Elf Commander and smiled. “Oh noble elf, my truest friend and ally, we must just our forces against this common scourge!”

“But of course, great dwarven leader, your people are like brothers unto mine!” Elf Leader smiled as he took up his bow and nodded toward Honored Uncle

“And my men and all their weapons are as one with yours! Together we shall vanquish the foul foe!” Human Commander drew out his sword to join the others.

“Together!” The three leaders gave a triumphant shout.

The three leaders looked toward one another as they joined hands in the center, the action brought a big smile to the face of the adventurers, happy to see their spirit renewed for the coming fight.

“So then what’s the plan for us Beardcutter?”

“We will head to the Lich’s castle.” Goblin Slayer turned toward Half-Demon Thief. “You have a map for us yes?”

“Yes sir, and I have marked off where to find her three horcruxes, if we destroy those items, the Lich will become vulnerable.”

“And if she is defeated, her army will stop as well yes?” Priestess looked toward Half-Demon Thief for confirmation.

“Yes, she is the one controlling these puppets.”

“Good.” Goblin Slayer then turned toward Hero and her party to determine their combat readiness. “Can you still fight?”

Hero and her party were surprised by his question, there was no hint of anger at them for their earlier comments, he genuinely was curious if they could still be useful. Hero paused as she looked over this figure, there was something familiar about his tone and attitude, he resembles someone she had met a long time ago in her village, and that familiarity brought a smile to her face.

“We’re ready to finish this battle.” Hero smiled toward Goblin Slayer while nodding her head.

“Question then Goblin Slayer, how do we get to this castle with the forest still teeming with the undead and our spell casters still exhausted from last night?” Spearman was curious as to what kind of solution this armored man would come up with.

“Hmm.”

“You’re not going to suggest we just walk there are you?” High Elf Archer angrily growled as she already knew what his answer would be.

“A wagon perhaps?” Goblin Slayer commented.

“Wait Goblin Slayer sir, I can still use my Stealth ability. That way, we can travel by the main road in a cart unseen by the undead.” Half-Demon Thief smiled as she knew this would be useful in helping Goblin Slayer.

“Can you…maintain that spell…for that long?” Witch pondered with a slight frown.

“It will be taxing, and it will be the only ability I can use for the day, but if it helps our spell casters regain their strength for the battle tonight, I can endure it.” Half-Demon Thief nodded with a determined look about her face.

“Alright, then we need to depart immediately, time is not on our side.”

The party members nodded as they quickly went about gathering their supplies and headed for the stables to load up the largest cart. Before Goblin Slayer and his wolves could join them, a hand got hold of his right shoulder and as he turned he found Hero and her party standing there.

“What is it?”

“We…we wanted to apologize for our earlier attitudes and behaviors?” Hero bowed her head as did her companions.

“Okay.”

Goblin Slayer’s comment caught all three of the girls off guard as they looked at the armored man with surprised looks.

“That’s all you have to say?” Female Swordmaster replied slightly annoyed by his remark.

“You are free to say whatever you wish about me…it doesn’t matter to me.”

“So…even after I pushed you, you’re not mad?”

“No. Now let us go, the others are waiting.”

“You…you don’t understand.” Hero lamented as she clenched her fists. “I’m the Hero…I found the legendary holy sword…we’re supposed to protect the world. Being defeated by that monster…I’m now doubting myself.”

“Are you the Hero only because you found the sword?”

Hero looked back to see Goblin Slayer slowly walking away toward the stables with his dire wolves but then stopped, still keeping his back to the group.

“If finding the weapon was the only thing needed to become a hero, then couldn’t anyone have done it?” Goblin Slayer then proceeded to walk toward the stables. ”Are you not one of the few platinum ranked adventurers? You’re group has already saved the world once…I’m sure you can do it again.”

Hero and her party stood there, stunned by his comments, in a weird way he was encouraging them to keep doing their best. With smiles all three rushed after the Goblin Slayer and his dire wolves to join the group that would assault the Lich’s castle.

xxxx

Within the Lich’s castle, her throne room to be exact, Lich Queen angrily paced back and forth while Armored Skelton and Half-Demon Assassin took a knee before her.

“You had one assignment, one simple task and you still managed to botch that.” Lich Queen tightly clenched her fists, so tightly in fact that her nails dug into her flesh and dripped black blood along the floor. “Last night should have been the end of that dwarven fortress…and because of your injury I was forced to pull my army back.”

“I had expected to find her in the dungeons my queen, not among the others.”

“What of your stealth ability…or is that just for show?”

“I…I was overconfident and it made me careless.”

“You are fortunate that you still serve a purpose to me, otherwise I’d have you fed to the horde.” Lich calmed herself before turning toward Armored Skelton. “Are my forces still in place for the assault tonight?”

“They are my queen, the horde has been instructed to assault the fortress come night fall and to slaughter any who may try and flee in the forest.” Armored Skelton raised his head to look back at the Lich Queen. “Not to doubt your judgement my queen, but shouldn’t I have remained behind to lead my forces.”

“No…with that traitor alive, I need dependable enforcers to guard my horcruxes.” Lich Queen sat upon her throne angrily sighing as she clenched the arm rests. “That miserable pile of waste knows the location of three of the horcruxes, but even she does not know the location of the fourth one.”

“We will slay them before they can destroy one of them my Queen.” Armored Skelton nodded his head toward his queen. “As per your instructions, I have positioned more guards around those royal chambers. While our main army is watching the perimeter of the fortress, we have nearly two thousand reanimated undead wondering the castle and 500 of my finest skeletal warriors.”

“So long as I have breath within me, I swear to you my queen that fourth horcrux will not fall.”

“I am counting on that my faithful assassin.” Lich Queen then sighed happily as the thought of the odd armored individual flashed through her mind. “That one will definitely be here tonight.”

“Are you referring to the armored man who destroyed our skeletal dragon?” Armored Skeleton’s tone suggested a sense of concern.

“Yes…he will be a valuable agent once he has been turned. It was his planning and strategy that caught us off guard last night, he has clearly earned a spot as one of my future generals.”

“Gen…general, but that is my position my queen! Surely we don’t have any need for another commander? I have served you faithfully my queen.”

“Is that jealousy I sense in your voice?” Lich Queen chuckled as she looked over Armored Skelton. “Calm yourself, I will not replace you…yet. I just feel that he would be a valuable asset to my army, after all he was the first one to so brazenly attack me, that is either ignorance or daring…I intend to find out which tonight.”

Armored Skeleton lowered his head and hissed angrily and he now clenched his fists. How dare this flesh bag come in and take the attention of his precious Lich Queen. He had been tolerant of the two half-demons, believing they would soon be turned into undead, but found that was not the case…and now…

“ _You miserable mortal…I’ll reduce you to nothing but chunks of meat before you take my queen from me!_ ”

xxxx

It was dusk by the time they group had reached the Lich’s castle, and the entire ride over had been rather cramped, most were unconformable with all thirteen adventurers and the two dire wolves stuffed into the one wagon, but it had been the safer option. With Stealth in place, the wagon rolled down the path undetected by the horde, and just as Half-Demon Thief had mentioned the group could see hundreds of the undead all about the trees and these were the ones they could see. It was decided to carefully hide the wagon near one of the large snow banks and approach on foot.

“Are you okay?” Priestess carefully watched over Half-Demon Thief who was breathing rather heavily and saw the sweat running down her face.

“I’m fine…just never had to use that spell for so long before or on such a large item.” Half-Demon Thief smiled as she looked back toward the concerned Priestess. “I can still fight.”

“You did well.”

Half-Demon Thief looked forward toward Goblin Slayer, this odd man had just praised her for her hard work, and no human had ever praised her before. She immediately pulled her hood over her head to keep others from seeing her blushing face.

“Are you okay?” Rookie Warrior, having no clue as to what was going on in a young girl’s mind, asked out of genuine concern.

“Fine.” The voice that came out of her was a loud as the squeak of a mouse.

“Sorry?”

“Fine…just cold…thank you.” Half-Demon Thief managed a bit of a louder response but still quieter than what the others were used to hearing.

“You idiot…how can you not understand what women are thinking?” Apprentice Cleric hit his left shoulder with her fist.

“Oww…what was that for?”

The group of adventurres laughed, but soon got quite as they looked over the massive castle. Near the massive gate were skeletal guards, but no signs of the reanimated undead, however the adventurers had looked over Half-Demon Thief’s plans of the castle and decided the best plan for entrance was through the sewer system near the castle’s moat.

“I hate sewers.” Apprentice Cleric muttered to herself, the only saving grace was that since it was a castle for the undead, there wouldn’t be fresh waste to deal with.

“From here, there a large opening that leads to what I surmise was the kitchen. From there we can split up to destroy the horcruxes.”

“We have to finish this fight tonight, otherwise my uncle and the others at the fortress will be lost.”

xxxx

“The trenches are ready.”

Honored Uncle and the others met with the dwarves who climbed out of the massive pit after finishing the last of the digging. No sooner than that all soldiers within the fortress heard the moans of the undead and cackling and chanting of the skeletal army, they looked forward as the stench of the rotting flesh was carried over the wind. For Honored Uncle, he grew even angrier when he saw some of his fellow dwarves from the previous night among the horde.

“Sound the alarm! Dump the oil into the trenches!”

The soldiers did as they were told, within a few short minutes, the trenches had been turned into moats with the oil in them and the surviving soldiers took up defensive positions in front of them, spell casters in the front rows, warriors in the middle and archers in the back rows.

“Light the trenches!”

The trenches were ablaze as the army of the undead drew near, as expected of Goblin Slayer’s plan, the skeletal warriors were smart enough to change tactics and charge through the given pathway while the undead marched forward falling into the burning pools of oil. The spell casters would use their abilities to knock the charging undead into the burning trenches or to completely obliterate them, until their spells ran out, then the warriors switches places to engage the undead that had reached them while the archers would launch arrow after arrow to decimate the horde.

“Keep it up until my nephew and his party have defeated the Lich Queen. This siege ends tonight!”

xxxx

“They’re here.” Lich Queen chuckled as she stood from her throne. “Move into position and be ready to receive our uninvited guests.”

“At once my queen.” Both Armored Skeleton and Half-Demon Assassin moved to protect the horcruxes.

“Now then…that man may have been able to overcome my Fear, but can he and his comrades overcome my Illusions.”

Lich Queen waved her hands in front of her and began her chant as the clouds above her castle came alive with the sounds of thunder and visible lightning.

“Gods of Chaos hear me now and aid me in making everyone bow, let them see what I desire…up until they all expire! Illusion!” Lich Queen threw her head back as she laughed.

xxxx

“We have been lucky thus far, but I fear the biggest task still lays before us.” Lizard Priest looked around the kitchen area for any sign of the undead then sign in defeat. “Such a travesty, a kitchen with no cheese.”

“We can get cheese if we make it through this.” High Elf Archer gave her comrade a brief pat on the shoulder before looking toward Goblin Slayer. “You mentioned something about having us split up, do you think that is wise Orcbolg?”

“A group this large will draw too much attention. If we separate, at least one group may succeed in destroying this…whatever they’re called.”

“You are the worst when it comes giving a rousing speech Goblin Slayer.” Spearman shook his head before looking toward Half-Demon Thief. “How do we get to these horcruxes from here?”

“We’re in the lower levels of the castle, we’ll need to travel upward and hopefully meet together in the Great Hall, but be careful, there are many traps laid throughout the castle and she undoubtedly knows we are already here.”

“Then…how should…we separate?” Witch mused as she figured she’d be paired up with Spearman as she had before.

“Spearman, Thief, Rookie Warrior and Hero shall accompany me.” Goblin Slayer motioned toward the four adventurers then continued on. ”The Dwarf, Priestess, Wolf, Witch and Swordmaster shall form a second group. The Elf, Priest, Sage, Snow and the Cleric shall form the last group.”

“Wait, wait, wait…why the hell are we separating this way Orcbolg?”

“It’s a better distribution of warriors and spells casters, and for those who are not as experienced in combat can work with others.”

“Make sense, then we better get moving Beardcutter before any more time is lost.”

“Stay alert.” Goblin Slayer nodded toward the other adventurers then knelt down to give both Wolf and Snow a gentle pat on their heads. “Keep them safe.”

The two dire wolves tails wagged briefly, then with a final goodbye the three groups separated and began to move through the bowels of the castle.

xxxx

Dwarf Shaman and has group had been moving through the castle, and managed to avoid a small group of skeletal warriors marching through the halls, but seemed no closer to reaching the Great Hall.

“O Earth Mother, please see our comrades safely through this ordeal.”

“Lass, don’t you worry, we’re going to get through this and when we’re finished we’re going to have a big celebration.”

“I know…I’m just worried.”

“You…are not used…to being…apart from…the others…yes?”

“Yes.” Priestess sighed but soon felt Wolf place his head under her hand which brought a small smile to her face. “I trust those with me and will do everything to keep us safe as well.”

“That’s the spirit. He may not look it, but that Goblin Slayer of yours is a calm and intelligent leader isn’t he?” Female Swordmaster smiled as she recalled how calm that man had been, even after being pushed and insulted by her earlier. “Wait…I hear something.”

The five stopped, the sound of heavy footsteps echoing in the hall, and soon they came across Goblin Slayer.

“Goblin Slayer!”

“Oh it’s you.” Goblin Slayer sheathed his sword and ran toward the group. “Thank goodness you’re all okay, I was so worried. I lost the others and was afraid that I was down here by myself.”

“What happened? Where are they?” Female Swordmaster pressed Goblin Slayer for information unaware of the reactions of the other party members.

Both Dwarf Shaman and Witch knew something was wrong as they heard Goblin Slayer, and even Wolf tensed up as he started to growl. Priestess eyes were wide as she listened to Goblin Slayer and swallowed before slowly backing up.

“If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you where I lost the others. Come on.”

“You’re not the real Goblin Slayer!” Priestess raised her arms and held her sounding staff high. “O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, grant your sacred light to we who are lost in darkness…Holy Light!”

The bright light bathe the hallway, Goblin Slayer screamed before disappearing with the light. Once the light had faded, the group could see the hallway was clear as was the fake Goblin Slayer.

“What…what just happened?” Female Swordmaster completely confused by what had happened.

“That was not the real Goblin Slayer, a trick of the Lich Queen.” Priestess sighed as she tightly gripped her sounding staff.

“How could you tell?”

“Goblin Slayer does not show any fear.” Priestess smiled as she looked toward Female Swordmaster. “He is always calm, even in the face of the toughest situation.”

“I can only hope the others are able to see through these illusions.” Dwarf Shaman readied his sling as he heard the sounds of the skeletal warriors coming from behind them. “Prepare yourselves…they’re coming!”

xxxx

“It feels like we’ve been wandering around for hours.” Spearman grunted as he wiped the sweat from his brow. “Why the hell is it so damn hot down here?”

“It…it must be the work of the Lich Queen.” Half-Demon Thief commented as she too wiped the sweat from her face.

“…elp…me…”

“I think I hear something.” Rookie Warrior quickly tightened his grip on his sword.

The five adventurers paused as they listened and could hear what sounded like someone calling out for help. Hero instinctively rushed forward to help the person in need, while the others tried to call her back and were forced to rush after her. As Hero and the others rounded the corner she was horrified to see Sage and High Elf Archer covered in blood laying on the floor before them.

“Oh no…Sage!”

“Please…help us Goblin Slayer!” High Elf Archer weakly stretched out her arm toward Goblin Slayer.

“Don’t approach them.” Goblin Slayer drew out his sword but kept his distance from the injured adventurers.

“What’s wrong with you? That’s your friend isn’t it?” Hero screamed, angrily glaring at this armored man before running toward her fallen friend.

The moment she drew near, the two figures vanished and the floor gave way, all five adventurers falling through landing back in the sewers.

“Damn it. We fell into a damn trap!” Spearman grunted as he stood and looked up, not seeing any place they could climb back out of.

“I’m…I’m sorry, I thought it was my friend…I…”

“A trick to deceive us.” Goblin Slayer sheathed his sword and aided both Rookie Warrior and Half-Demon Thief to their feet.

“How were you able to tell Goblin Slayer…uh sir?” Rookie Warrior too had believed that the two girls he had seen were also real.

“The Elf does not call me Goblin Slayer.”

“So how do we…”

Before Half-Demon Thief could finished the moans of the undead echoed in the sewers. The group turned to see dozens of the monsters walking toward them with arms outstretched. Spearman readied his spear but soon hit the side of the wall and cursed knowing he would be able to fight to his full effectiveness.

“Fallback.”

The five warriors turned and ran in the direction away from the undead and soon came to a fork in the sewer and down either path the adventurers could hear more undead shambling toward them.

“We’re trapped.” Rookie Warrior looked around nervously as the undead drew closer.

“We fight back to back…hold out for as long as possible!” Spearman pointed his spear forward, sweat running down his face, and the frustration that he would die without being able to be with Guild Girl or his partner Witch.

“Above us.” Half-Demon Thief pointed toward the top of the sewer junction.

Everyone looked up to see a circular sewer grate, but it was too high to reach even if they jumped.

“I will help lift you toward the top.” Goblin Slayer motioned toward Spearman.

“Why me first? Why not the girls?”

“Your strength will be needed to pull them out as I lift from the bottom.” Goblin Slayer nodded toward his comrade. “We need to hurry, and I know you’re the most capable one for the task.”

“Fine, let’s get going.” Spearman nodded toward Goblin Slayer, internally happy that his friend had this much faith in his ability.

Goblin Slayer knelt down as Spearman stood on his back, with a grunt Goblin Slayer slowly stood, the weight of the armored warrior was rather heavy, but he continued to lift. Spearman got hold of the grate and grunted as he pushed against it eventually getting it loose and ready for him to move to the side. With the grate out of the way Spearman climbed through the opening grateful there were no undead or skeletal warriors about. He tossed his spear to the side and turned back toward the opening extending his right arm down into the sewers.

“Ready!”

“You’re next…lend him your strength and watch his back.” Goblin Slayer directed his instructions toward Rookie Warrior then looked toward the girls. “Stay close to me.”

The girls nodded, while Rookie Warrior stood on Goblin Slayer’s back before reaching out for Spearman’s hand. Spearman got hold of the young warrior’s hand and with a grunt started to pull until he too was out of the sewers.

“You’re next.”

Goblin Slayer once again knelt down as Hero stood on his back and reached for Spearman’s hand. Spearman got hold of her hand and began to pull, but as he did Hero’s sword fell out of its sheath and clattered to the floor. The undead were now clearly visible and only a few meters away and closing in.

“My sword!”

“Stop struggling, or I’ll end up dropping you.” Spearman continued to pull until the young girl was out of the sewers.

“I got it!”

Half-Demon Thief ran to grab the sword only for it to burn her as she touched it. Half-Demon Thief screamed as she drew her hand back, smoke traveling from her glove and as she looked back at the sword could see the undead were now within arm’s reach. With sheer determination she once again reached for the sword, as before it burned her, but this time she did not release it. She screamed holding the sword, the one weapon that could slay the Lich Queen, and started to back away until Goblin Slayer got hold of her around the waist and pulled her back before she could be grabbed by the undead; he rushed back toward the opening and lifted her up toward Spearman.

“Quickly reach for my hand!”

Still clutching the sword that burned her hand, she took hold of Spearman’s arm with her free hand and was quickly pulled out. The moment she landed on the floor, she dropped the Hero’s sword and held her injured hand. Hero rushed forward, completely ignoring the blade as she rushed to Half-Demon Thief’s side.

“I…I…got…your sword.”

“Forget about that now. We need to treat that hand!” Hero took out a white cloth from her pouch and quickly went to work wrapping the injured hand. “That was a damn stupid thing to do…thank you.”

“That weapon will help…defeat the Lich Queen, so a little pain is worth it.”

“Goblin Slayer! Jump and take hold of my arm!”

Both girls turned toward the opening to realize that Goblin Slayer had not joined them up top. Down below, Goblin Slayer had drawn his club them moment Half-Demon Thief was in Spearman’s hands. He quickly did as he was told and jumped as high as he could and managed to get hold of Spearman’s arm. Spearman began to pull, Rookie Warrior grabbing hold of Spearman’s waist to help pull Goblin Slayer out of the sewer. Before they could pull Goblin Slayer out, the undead got hold of his legs and waist and proceeded to pull themselves. Spearman and Rookie Warrior struggled to pull him up as it was just the two of them compared to the dozens down below.

“Damn it!” Spearman hissed as Goblin Slayer’s hand was starting to slip from his grip. “We got you! Just hang on!”

“Let go.”

“What…what the hell are you talking about you dumbass?”

“You’ll both be dragged in…let go.”

“Goblin Slayer…”

“Take care of them for me.”

Spearman gasped at the last comment before Goblin Slayer released his own grip, his hand easily slipping from Spearman’s hand. From the lack of weight both Spearman and Rookie warrior stumbled backwards falling awkwardly before looking back at the opening into the sewers. The two girls looked on with wide eyes as the full realization of what had just happened washed over them. They could hear Goblin Slayer grunt as he fought against the undead, but within a few seconds they could only hear the cries of the undead, there were no screams.

“Gob…Goblin Slayer.”

Half-Demon Thief broke away from Hero and made a frantic crawl toward the opening but was quickly held back by Spearman.

“Goblin Slayer!”

“That’s enough!”

“No…let me go! We…we can still save him! Goblin Slayer!” Tears running down her face, this man who had openly accepted and protected her could not be dead.

“He’s gone!” Spearman snapped as he continued to hold the young demon back. “If you go down there, his sacrifice would have been for nothing. He made sure to get you out of there, we need to keep moving…like you said we have to stop the Lich.”

**Author’s Note: With that, I’m officially ending the Howl of Vengeance story. I feel I’ve come as far as I can so this is a good stopping point and…okay relax everyone I’m just kidding, if I ended it here those who are following the story would hunt me down (I’m probably going to get a lot of flak for this one already). You best believe this is not the end, not by a long shot. I’m also very appreciative of the suggestions from the fans, some of which I was already thinking about for future arcs (stop reading my thoughts I already have enough voices in my head). Okay, everyone have a good Thanksgiving, go enjoy your food, I know the horde will be enjoying the Goblin Slayer Kabob, extra raw! Sorry bad joke, don’t hit me.**

**Oh yeah, to Jon I listened to both songs and I think Queen of the dark Horizons is the more appropriate one for the army of the undead marching upon the fortress.**


	26. Chapter 26

Cow Girl was in the process of washing the dishes when suddenly something fell off to the side. Cow Girl paused as she looked toward her right and saw the third wooden bowl her friend would eat from now on the floor.

“That’s strange…it on the shelf a moment ago. I wonder why it fell.” She calmly walked over to retrieve it with a smile upon her face. “ _He’s been gone for quite a long time now, I’ll have to make him a big pot of stew…him and Wolf when they get back._ ”

Her face suddenly began to heat up when she recalled the last time they saw each other, and the fact that he had seen her completely naked, as opposed to just seeing her in her underwear. She calmly picked up the bowl and then as she turned it over noticed a large crack in the bowl. She thought it was strange when the bowl then broke in half and clattered to the floor once again.

“What…what happened?” The sudden action startled her as she wondered why his bowl would break then gasped when realized it was only his bowl that had been broken. “Does…does that mean…no. Please no.”

xxxx

At the same time this was happening, at the Guild, both Guild Girl and Inspector were finishing up the last of the paper work for the day. Guild looked over the last goblin quest and smiled wondering how he was doing on his quest to help the dwarf’s relative. Their winter celebration and New Years’ party would be coming up in a few short weeks, she was determined to have him attend with all the others this time. Suddenly she and Inspector heard a loud crack, both looked around trying to discover the source of the noise when Inspector saw the cracked porcelain cups Guild Girl used to drink tea from.

“Over there, it’s one of your cups, how strange.” Inspector pointed toward the teas cups.

Guild Girl looked over at the cups confused herself, but her eyes widened when she saw it was the cup he always drank from. She stood slowly approaching it, telling herself that she was only imaging things, when the cup completely broke apart.

“No…it can’t be…” She backed away clutching her hands to her chest as tears started to form in her eyes.

“Are you ok?”

“I…no…Goblin Slayer.” She collapsed in her chair her head hung low as tears ran down her face.

xxxx

Elsewhere in Water Town, Sword Maiden herself was relaxing in the bath after a long day of attending to her duties as the Archbishop. With the year coming to close she was hopeful that she might be able to travel to the Frontier Town to visit Goblin Slayer, the thought brought a slight blush to her face. Suddenly she felt a cold chill wash over her despite being in the bath house, she cautiously looked around trying to sense for something that was out of the ordinary, but she was alone in the room at the time.

“What…what is the feeling of unease?”

The steam in the bathhouse began to gather all around her, she grew nervous wondering what this could all mean when she could make out a dark shape in the mist, it took the form of an armored warrior one she was familiar with.

“Goblin Slayer?” She reached out to touch the shape, but the shadow then faded away before her.

All returned to normal leaving her to wonder what she had just seen, why the mist would take the form of Goblin Slayer and then vanish before her. A sudden thought flashed through her mind, that plus the cold feeling she felt earlier and the image of Goblin Slayer only added to her fear.

“No. Gods no!” Tears started to run down her face as she collapsed to her knees within the bath. “Has…has he…fallen. Gods tell me it’s not true!”

xxxx

Half-Demon Thief found herself still looking at the dark opening that led to the sewers, the wails of the undead echoing through the hallway. Hero also looked back toward the opening and the young demon girl and wanted to say something to help her but found that she could only look down at her sword.

“Okay…we need to keep moving.” Spearman sighed as she wiped the sweat from his face and tightened his grip around his spear before looking toward Half-Demon Thief. “Which way from here?”

“It’s my fault…I should have just thrown the sword to him. He at least could have gotten out.”

“No…it’s my fault. If I hadn’t dropped my sword, none of this would have happened. I’m the one to blame.”

“Hey…come on now…we need to…” Rookie Warrior wanted to find a way to cheer them both up after what they had just seen, but in truth he too was pretty shaken up.

“That’s enough, both of you!” Spearman growled as he looked over both girls who continued to sulk. “It’s no one’s fault…these things happen. The others are still waiting for us, and we can’t abandon them.”

“How can you act as if nothing happened? You act as if you don’t care that he’s gone!” Half-Demon Thief glared at Spearman despite the tears still in her eyes.

“You’re wrong…I lost…a friend today.” Spearman paused as he looked down at his right, silently cursing himself for not being stronger. “He asked me to watch over you all, so I’m going to do my best to honor that request. He made sure to get you out of there, so he must have seen something within you to do that. Are you going to disvalue what he died for?”

Half-Demon Thief gasped as she took in what Spearman was saying, she knew he was right and that she should honor Goblin Slayer’s sacrifice. With a heavy sigh she recollected herself and approached Hero, the other young woman not sure what this young demon would say to her.

“Let’s see this quest through. The Lich needs to die tonight and your sword is the best bet against her.” Half-Demon Thief held out her injured hand towards

“Of course.” Hero smiled as she took the demon’s hand gave a fit a firm grip.

“Ow…not too tight.” Half-Demon Thief smiled but could still not completely shake the guilt she felt for what happened to Goblin Slayer.

xxxx

“It…would appear…that we are…the first group…here.” Witch smiled as she examined the great hall, once a grand area but now reduced to dust and cobwebs around the various decorations.

“I meant to ask how you knew the images before us were not real. The moment I saw that bloody image of the Spearman supporting my comrade, I was sure something had happened to them.” Sage was curious how Witch was able to warn them where she was ready to jump in.

“That man…would never look…so helpless.” Witch smiled, a slight blush crossing her face as she did. “Even…in the worst…situation…he would…be smiling…or be angry.”

“I wouldn’t worry about the others, Orcbolg is with your party member, they’re in good…if unpredictable hands.”

The group tensed as they heard approaching footsteps, but smiled when Dwarf Shaman and his group arrived.

“Scaly! Long-Ears! Good to see that you both made it through that labyrinth okay.”

“We did have to contend with a small group of the skeletal warriors as well as the Lich Queen’s spell meant to trick us with false visions.”

“You as well?” Priestess smiled as she saw both Wolf and Snow nuzzle up against one another, tails wagging. “We also had to deal with the Lich’s illusions.”

“What did you all see?” High Elf Archer was curious as to what the dwarf’s group had seen and wondered what Goblin Sayer would say when he got there.

“It was Goblin Slayer…he rushed over toward us in a panic stating how glad he was to see us.”

“Orcbolg…panic…and then say he’s glad?” High Elf Archer could not help but laugh at the thought. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard Orcbolg mention being happy let alone panic about something.”

“That was how we were able to see that he was not the real Goblin Slayer. Has his group not arrived yet?”

“Not yet. Knowing Orcbolg he making sure all the undead goblin’s are truly dead as well as doing his usual counting.”

It was a short while afterwards when Spearman and the others finally arrived, the others were too happy to see them that they initially did not notice that only four of the group have arrived.

“I’m…happy…that you…made it.” Witch replied with a smile to Spearman.

“Sorry if I worried you.” Spearman had a weak smile on his face as he dreaded having to tell the others about Goblin Slayer.

“Oh look at you, you’re completely filthy, what happened?” Apprentice Cleric shook her head at the state her comrade was in, but was thankful he had arrived unhurt.

“We…we had a run in with the undead.”

“Oh your hand, are you okay?” Priestess looked over Half-Demon Thief injured right hand.

“I’m fine. I grabbed Hero’s sword and the holy weapon does not react well to demons…even half-demons.” Half-Demon Thief too was worried about what the others would say about Goblin Slayer but felt she had to be the one to tell them.

“I’m relieved to hear wait…where’s Goblin Slayer?”

Priestess question seemed to echo in the great hall, as the others looked around but could not see Goblin Slayer anywhere. It was Lizard Priest who first realized the implications of what this meant as his eyes went wide and his mouth hung open, but soon enough the other three had the same expression on their faces. Rookie Warrior and Hero could not face them as they turned their heads to the side, Spearman himself closed his eyes and sighed, and finally Half-Demon Thief looked the others with tears forming in her eyes before she closed them and shook her head.

“No…Beardcutter.”

“What…what happened?” Lizard Priest too could not believe in what he was hearing.

“We were tricked by the Lich’s spell and fell into the sewers filled with the undead.” Half-Demon Thief found she could not control her tears but needed to finish telling the others. “He helped us get back to the hallway, but could not get out himself. I…I’m sorry.”

Dwarf Shaman gritted his teeth as he tightly clenched his fist, trying his best to fight back the tears, while Lizard Priest brought his hands together and bowed his head as the tears ran down his face.

“Damn you Orcbolg! Damn you!” High Elf Archer dropped to the ground pounding her fists along the floor as the tears ran down her face.

Priestess collapsed to her knees, her wide eyes and mouth open as she was not able to process what was being said. Half-Demon Thief rushed to her side, placing both hands on her shoulders in an attempt to help shake some sense back into her. Priestess dropped her sounding staff before throwing her arms around Half-Demon Thief and hugging her tightly as she bawled like a child, Half-Demon Thief returned the embrace and held the young girl tight as she too cried. The others around them hung their heads low, for Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric they may not have known him as well as the others but had come to respect him.

“ _My dream…my vision…I wasn’t able to stop it from coming to pass. You tried to warn me Earth Mother and I was unable to find a way to save him. I should have warned him…I’m to blame for this._ ”

Spearman watched his party and once again cursed his weakness, he looked down at his right arm as if was the sole reason for what had happened.

“ _If it had been the big guy, he could have pulled Goblin Slayer up in one go. How am I going to say tell Guild Girl…or his friend on the farm? How do I tell them I had the chance to help and I failed at it?_ ”

High Elf Archer then felt something nudge against her and turned to see both Wolf and Snow looking at her. She took one look at these two and broke down as she wrapped an arm around their necks and hugged them tightly.

“I’m sorry…but…he’s not coming back. I don’t know if you can understand me, but I’m sorry you two.”

The two wolves did not understand the words being said but could tell that the woman in front of them was quite sad. Their tails did not wag in response to this but both could not help but be anxious as they looked around the room for the armored man.

“What’s this…did I hear you correctly?”

The voice echoed in the great hall forcing everyone to stand back up and ready their weapons for whatever may be coming their way.

“That’s the Lich Queen.” Half-Demon Thief nervously looked around the room with daggers raised to defend herself.

“Quite correct my former thief.”

“Where are you? Show yourself you coward!” Hero tightened her grip around her sword as she too searched for the source of the voice.

“What have I to be afraid of little one? You, the great Hero, could not even force me to drop my sword last night. That however is not important, what matters to me is did I hear you all correctly…my dear Goblin Slayer was consumed by my horde?”

“Don’t you dare speak of him in such a familiar manner!” High Elf Archer angrily tightened her grip around her bow as she heard the Lich speak of Goblin Slayer.

“You damn abomination. You attack my people, my uncle and now you’ve taken my friend!”

“How wonderful, now I can add him to my forces once I see him again. A new general to command my legion of the undead.”

“We’ll stop you before you can do any further harm with your monsters. Don’t forget that I know of your horcruxes and have made sure the others know of them as well.”

“Oh I am well aware of that you little traitor. I know that you know the location of three of them, but not even you know about the fourth one.”

“What…what fourth one?”

“Foolish demon, did you really think I’d expose all of my horcruxes to one who could become a potential threat. However, being the generous being that I am, I shall give you all a hint to the location of the fourth horcrux.”

“Why? Why would you give us a hint?” Priestess still upset about the loss of Goblin Slayer could not understand why the Lich would do this.

“It’s simple really, I want to see what you will do when you realize where the horcrux is. Now then my little thief, think carefully, why would I have sent your brother off to find you?”

“Because of my knowledge of the castle and your horcruxes.”

“Is that the only reason? Could it have also been because I didn’t want one of my horcruxes to fall into the hands of my enemy?”

“Wait…what are you saying? I’m…I’m a horcrux.” Half-Demon Thief looked over her body wondering when the lich had transferred her soul within her.

“There you go adventurers, there is a horcrux for you to destroy. Once destroyed I should become weaker, perhaps weak enough for even the Hero to defeat. That is of course assuming you can kill her.”

The other adventurers looked toward each other and then over toward Half-Demon Thief which indeed made her nervous.

“The choice is yours of course, but know that you will never make it to my other horcruxes. Al of you shall become minions of my horde. It’s only a matter of time.”

Half-Demon Thief looked back at her body, she was one of the horcruxes and that meant she would have to die if the Lich Queen was to be defeated. She thought about the people she met over these last two days, she finally found people she could call friends and one of them had even given his life to help her. She had no desire to die, but now she could repay their kindness and help keep others from suffering. She turned her daggers inward and prepared to plunge them into her body when she suddenly felt powerful hands grasp her wrists, she looked up to see Lizard Priest staring at her with a stern look about his face.

“What are you doing?”

“There will be no further self-sacrifice.” Lizard Priest slowly removed his hands and smiled as he bowed his head. “While I appreciate your willingness to help us, we will not lose any further comrades tonight.”

“But…but I’m a horcrux, you’ll have to kill me.”

“Bear in mind, the Lich has been nothing but deceitful this entire time.” High Elf Archer added as she placed a hand on Half-Demon Thief’s shoulder.

“What if you’re wrong? What if killing me is the only way to stop her?”

“Then we will find another way!” Hero stepped forward and clenched her fist tightly with a smile. “I was wrong to assume that you were evil like the other demons I have done battle with. You who came to warn us and risked injury to help me retrieve my sword…you are an honorable individual. I too will fight to help you as he did.”

Half-Demon was shocked to hear all of this and as she looked around could see the other adventurers too shared the same sentiments, she smiled and nodded her head as she placed her daggers back in their sheaths.

“Alright, so what is the plan now?” Spearman wondered now that the Lich Queen knew where they were and was prepared for them.

“Where is the Lich Queen now?” Hero tightened her grip on her holy sword.

“That door at the end of the great hall.” Half-Demon Thief pointed toward the large door then looked back toward Hero. “But fighting her right now would be a futile effort. We need to destroy her horcruxes before we have any chance of defeating her.”

“I’m well aware that we can’t defeat her right now, but I doubt she’ll just let us wander around freely, but if some of us can hold her at bay, that will give the others a better chance to find and destroy these horcruxes. My party and I will hold her here, keep her distracted long enough for you all.”

“Are you sure? That thing was strong enough to knock you both back last night.” Spearman remembered seeing the Lich Queen easily defeat both Hero and Female Swordmaster.

“I know…but this time we’re not going to go in haphazardly. The three of us will fight together to buy you the time you need.” Hero then turned back toward the other adventurers and smiled. “None of have any desire to die this night, so the sooner you can get back to help us, the better.”

“You just leave it to us adventurers.” Spearman cheerfully proclaimed as he pounded his fist upon his armor.

The party the broke into two groups, Hero and her party members running toward the door at the end of the great hall while Spearman and the others followed Half-demon Thief towards a door on the opposite side that would lead them to the staircase and from there they could go and find the horcruxes.

Hero and her party crashed through the door and entered into the throne room. Unlike the rest of the castle which was sparsely lit by various torches, this throne room was brightly lit with multiple torches scattered around, the throne room had a large arching balcony that went around the room, and above it all was a large chandelier slightly swinging around. Their towards the front center of the room was the massive throne constructed of stone in the shape of skulls and upon sat the Lich Queen, though her face was hidden behind the black veil she laughed rather sinisterly.

“My, this is a surprise! I thought you were going to go and find my horcruxes! In fact, I even told you where you could find one.” Lich mused as she look over the three women who stood before her. “I try to help you find a way to weaken me and instead you rush forward to meet your death.”

“We won’t be fooled by your trick this time deceiver!” Sage replied rather stern with staff pointed toward the Lich.

“Oh, but isn’t my deception the very reason you and the others are now missing one of your allies?”

“You…you fiend!” Hero tightened her grip as she heard the Lich joke about the demise of Goblin Slayer. “Even if the young woman is a horcrux, I will find a way to defeat you and save her!”

“What’s this, the Hero defending a demon? I would never have thought I’d live this long to see the day this would happen.”

“You have lived long enough monster. Tonight, your reign over the dead will come to an end.” Female Swordmaster drew out her sword to join Hero.

The Lich Queen calmly stood from her throne and began to walk toward the trio of women she held out her hands and two large curved swords appeared within them.

“Try as you might, I will not be defeated by you three! When I march upon the castles of the kings you three will be at the front of my army and that will show everyone that none can escape from the Lich Queen. Your screams will echo through the castle before the night is over.”

Outside the throne room a figure shambled forward it heard the sounds of battle coming from the doorway toward the front but its red blazing eyes suddenly turned its left. A scream sounded from this side getting the figures attention as it made its way towards that door.

xxxx

The others party members started up the staircase following the spiral pattern until they came to another large hallway.

“This place is massive, look at all these doorways. It’s be easy to get lost in here.” Rookie Warrior looked left and right at all the door ways around them.

“Be careful, most of the doors lead to death traps, although there is one room around here with treasure from a conquest long ago, but the Lich Queen has no need for any of that.”

“Did you say treasure…as in gold!” Apprentice Cleric smiled as her eyes lit up with the sound of gold.

“Hey! Stay focused!” Spearman sternly replied as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

No sooner than he said this, several doors opened up and out came dozens of the undead but these undead had armor covering most of their bodies in particular helmets on their heads, the creatures turned toward the group and wailed as they marched forward with arms raised. Apprentice Cleric screamed as she saw the horde closing in, but was quickly pulled back by Rookie Warrior who raised his sword to defend his friend.

“Stay behind me!”

“Nice form kid, but need to move further back!”

“I’ll give us some breathing room. Come out you gnomes, it’s time to work, now don’t you dare your duty shirk-a bit of dust may cause no shock, but a thousand make a lovely rock! Stone Blast!”

The stones flew forward, but due to the armor covering them, few were actually destroyed by the spell. The adventurers turned and ran down the hallway, but at the other end of the hall way they could see about a dozen skeletal warriors charging toward them. The adventurers stopped in their tracks at the sight of the undead closing in on either side.

“Damn it…trapped like rats.” High Elf Archer took careful aim and launched a couple arrows that managed to easily pierce the skulls of the undead through the eye holes.

“This door, we can hold them from here it’s a second armory!” Half-Demon Thief kicked open the nearest door on the off chance that her bother had booby-trapped it, but thankfully it was still clear.

The party rushed into the secondary armory and were delighted to find it still full of weapons, but there was no other exit within the room, if they were unable to fend off this wave they would be killed. The spell casters rushed toward the back of the room while the warriors, ranger, scout and dire wolves stood before them. The horde, save the skeletons who ran ahead, shambled forward after the mortals, but a couple of the zombies in the back turned toward the right as the sound of a door creaking caught their attention. These creature stumbled forward as they saw a new figure stagger out into the hallway, this creature turned its red eyes looking toward the creatures approaching.

“O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, by the power of the land grant safety to we who are weak…Protection!”

The wall immediately went up just as the skeleton warriors proceeded to pound against it with their weapons.

“Stand aside you lot. Once more…Stone Blast!” Dwarf Shaman fired another volley of rocks, these easily found their targets and easily shattered the bones of most of the skeletons, but now they had to contend with the horde of undead quickly filling the room.

“Damn it! Damn it!” Spearman rushed forward and used his spear to slice through the exposed necks of the undead but saw that like the mob that assaulted them in the forest it was a never ending number of them.

Lizard Priest, High Elf Archer, Half-Demon Thief, and Rookie Warrior joined in to keep fighting against the undead, but then came a major problem. Some of the undead were wearing chainmail, preventing most of the blades from cutting through their necks.

“How are you holding up lass?”

“I’m…trying…but it’s…very difficult.” Priestess struggled to keep the prayer to the Earth Mother going for as long as possible. “ _I…I can’t quit. Because…he wouldn’t have quit!_ ”

“Just keep focused and we’ll…”

High Elf Archer could not finish her sentence for something now caught her eye, a new figure entered the room behind the undead. Lizard Priest and Spearman noticed the wide eye expression on High Elf Archer and quickly followed her gaze to find the new creature that entered the room. Soon enough the others all started to catch sight of this creature, all with the exception of Priestess who still had her eyes closed she focused on the prayer.

“No…it can’t be.” Half-Demon Thief lowered her weapons, tears in her eyes as she saw the undead creature shamble forward.

“Priestess…keep focused on that prayer…whatever you see, keep focused.” High Elf Archer’s breathing was very fast as she struggled to steady herself, but felt she might start crying once again.

Priestess opened her eyes, she could see that the others had stopped fighting, but could see that the horde was still banging against the wall. Then between the undead, she finally caught sight of it, and felt as if the air had been knocked out of her as it had been when Beast Master punched her. The creature was a man in dirty leather armor with a shield attached to its left arm, his usual sword missing from its scabbard. This man’s armor was stained with dark red, almost black blood and yet behind its blood soaked helmet she caught a glimpse of its red eye blazing in the darkened room.

“G…gob…Goblin Slayer.”

**Author’s Note: I was too excited to hold off on this until Sunday or Monday to submit. Now, let us see how this party will deal this new undead that has entered the room, particularly one they know too well. What of the Lich Queen, is she lying or does Half-Demon Thief have to die? And what of Goblin Slayer…will the party have to kill this man a second time? Can an undead be cured and return to being a mortal? Once again, thanks again for all the support and potential ideas for the story. Everyone have a good and safe Thanksgiving (I sound like I’m talking to my students).**


	27. Chapter 27

The horde continued to scratch at the barrier, and at the front of it towards the bottom were the undead goblins clawing away. It almost seemed painfully ironic for the party for them to see Goblin Slayer returned as an undead towards the back of the room, now the same as the monsters attacking.

“Can you put an arrow in him?” Spearman turned toward High Elf Archer with his request.

Everyone else looked at him, some had wide surprised eyes as if they could not believe what he was saying while others had angry expressions about them for having heard him suggest such a thing.

“We…we can’t! That’s Goblin Slayer!” Half-Demon Thief was one of those with the surprised look on her face.

“I know that’s Goblin Slayer, but…at the same time it isn’t him anymore.” Spearman grunted as he looked back at the blood stained creature that remained in the back of the room knowing it was his friend, or rather used to be. “The least we can do is let him rest in peace.”

High Elf Archer looked at him then drew her arrow back as she aimed for Goblin Slayer in the back. As she focused on the man her hands began to shake and she could feel the tears starting to well up in her eyes again.

“I…I can’t get a clear shot, his helmet is blocking the way.” High Elf Archer grunted as she lowered her bow and closed her eyes. “ _That’s only part of the truth, I can’t shoot him. That man has saved me multiple times…how can I kill someone I have feelings for._ ”

The blood-stained, armor-dented Goblin Slayer stared at the group from the back of the horde then looked toward the left and right of the armory and slowly made his way toward the right. The figure reached out and placed its hand on a flanged mace and picked it up checking the weight of the weapon. The others looked on with curious faces, this undead was gripping a weapon, did it remember part of Goblin Slayer’s past?

“Beardcutter…what is he doing?”

The undead Goblin Slayer still gripping the mace in its right hand then reached behind its back with its left hand and started to rummage around its bag. It then pulled out a vial containing a strange liquid and grunted as hurled the vial forward toward a group of the undead, shattering the vial and watching as the contents splashed around several of the monsters. He then repeated the same motion twice more, the actions caught the rest of those behind the barrier of Protection completely off guard.

“Lightning…use lightning like the other night.” The undead Goblin Slayer struggled to say through ragged breaths.

Apprentice Cleric was completely shock by what she heard and knew at that moment he was directing her to use Holy Smite to ignite the undead.

“Lord of Judgement, sword-prince, scale-bearer, display here your power…Holy Smite!” Apprentice raised her sword toward the horde and watched as the lightning bolt shot out and struck the undead.

Like before the undead lit up from the gasoline surrounding their bodies, they continued to claw at the barrier but little by little the flames took their tool and the undead started to fall. The two surviving skeletal warriors shrieked as they rushed toward Goblin Slayer with swords raised, Goblin Slayer raised his shield to block the first strike then brought the mace down and crashed the skull of the first skeleton, he then turn swung toward the right and destroyed the next skeleton beside him. As the flames died down, Protection was ended and the other warriors rushed forward to destroy the last remaining undead as Goblin Slayer did the same. The flanged mace easily crushed through the helmets and pierced the skulls of the undead as their form of protection became nothing more than a metal coffin.

“That’s the last of this horde.” Spearman breathed a sigh of relief but then looked toward Goblin Slayer.

Goblin Slayer slowly dropped to one knee, using the mace to help support his body from falling over. The party looked at him unsure just how much of Goblin Slayer was still in there. Now that he collapsed was he changing into an undead, did he still have his mind and will about him?

Wolf and Snow quickly moved past the others toward the armored man, tails wagging, while Priestess tried to stop them. Goblin Slayer’s panted heavily, his eyes toward the ground until he looked up and found the two dire wolves, to which he reached out with his left hand. The others were slightly panicked, wondering if this person would reach out to attack the dire wolves or to see if the dire wolves would growl or attack this creature.

“Wolf…are you okay?” Goblin Slayer patted the dire wolf atop the head only to have it wag its tail and then turned toward Snow and did the same. ”Snow.”

“Goblin Slayer…are you…are you still you?” Priestess gripped her sounding staff with shaking hands hoping that Goblin Slayer was not an undead.

“I...I need a stamina potion.” Goblin Slayer looked back toward Priestess and the rest of the party.

Instantly the rest of the party rushed toward Goblin Slayer with happy expressions and for some tears of relief in their eyes. Dwarf Shaman immediately gave Goblin Slayer a stamina potion which he down immediately in one gulp. Once the potion started to take effect, Goblin Slayer stood where everyone clapped him on the shoulder, shook his hand or hugged him around the waist, though he was confused by sudden actions.

“Goblin Slayer, I thought we had lost you.” Priestess had tears in her eyes as she hugged him.

“I’m…I’m so sorry Goblin Slayer! I should have let you taken the sword, then you would have…I’m sorry.” Half-Demon Thief bowed her head toward him tears also present in her eyes.

“It’s fine.” Goblin Slayer looked toward these two then looked back to see High Elf Archer glaring at him. “What’s wrong?”

“You damn stupid human! Do you have any idea how we felt when we thought you were gone?” High Elf Archer clenched her fists tightly as she glared at him tears in her eyes as well.

“She’s right!” Spearman stepped forward and angrily hit Goblin Slayer’s right shoulder. “What the hell was that with your stunt down in the sewers? I really thought you died!”

“I see. I’m sorry.” Goblin Slayer looked toward everyone still stained in blood. “It was not my intention to make you worry or upset, I meant to help the others.”

“How the hell did you survive? I thought the horde below had torn you apart in the sewers? They didn’t bite or contaminate you?” Spearman asked curious how Goblin Slayer made it back to them unscathed.

“It was my intention to keep you and Rookie Warrior from being dragged in too, that’s the reason I released your grip.” Goblin Slayer looked toward Spearman and Rookie Warrior before returning his gaze to the others. “When the horde attacked I remembered what the blacksmith’s note said about Wolf’s armor.”

“What did the note say Milord Goblin Slayer?”

“The chainmail and armor should protected from bites from the undead, I put my trust in that as I fought the undead. Their teeth could not break through my chainmail or armor, so I was forced to fight constantly being knocked down by their sheer numbers over and over until I made it back to the location by the kitchen where we first entered.” Goblin Slayer sighed as he was still fighting the effects of the exhaustion. “I then had to deal with a small patrol of skeletal warriors as I made my way from the bowels of the castle to the great hall. That is when I heard someone scream and I followed the sounds.”

“Damn it Orcbolg! You had me and the others despairing that you had been lost. What would we tell Guild Girl or your friend on the farm?” High Elf Archer started to blush as she turned her head to the side knowing that she wasn’t the only who deeply cared for him. “I’m just glad you’re alright. You owe me at least five adventures for making all us worry like that.”

“Understood.” Goblin Slayer looked over the party and noticed that some were missing. “Where are the others?”

“They’re fighting the Lich Queen to give us time to find the horcruxes, although the Lich hinted that there is a fourth horcrux that we don’t know about Beardcutter.”

“She said that I was the fourth horcrux. I…I was prepared to end my life on the chance that it was true, but the others stopped me.”

“Good. You don’t have to give up your life needlessly.” Goblin Slayer replied as he continued to examine the mace, nodding his head in approval of it weight and ease being used one handed.

Once again he failed to notice how his comment had brought a blush to Half-Demon Thief’s face and smile of the others.

“So what now Beardcutter?”

“We continue with your plan to destroy these…whatever they’re called to weaken the Lich Queen.” Goblin Slayer then walked toward the opposite side of the armory to inspect the swords and took hold of a medium size sword. “It’s a bit longer than I prefer but it will have to do.”

“Seeking…new weapons…Goblin Slayer?” Witch smiled as she was relieved to find Goblin Slayer returned to them, even she did not wish to see Guild Girl heartbroken to find him gone.

“I lost all my weapons during my battles. These will do until I return to the Guild.” Goblin Slayer sheathed the blade as he looked over the other party members.

“He’s got a point, maybe you best get a new quiver of arrows before we move on and this might be a good opportunity for you to get a better sword and armor for free.” Spearman’s comment was directed toward High Elf Archer and Rookie Warrior.

“I have no desire to use these weapons created by the enemy, however given that they will be used against dark forces, I guess I have no choice.” High Elf Archer sighed as she replaced the lost arrows with those found in the armory.

“What if these weapons carry a curse? Is it safe to take them?” Rookie Warrior looked over various items in this armory.

“These weapons are safe. It’s my understanding that they were constructed by dark dwarves, but had not been infused with any type of foul magic.” Half-Demon Thief said as she went over toward the right and picked up a bandolier of throwing knives.

“Bah, dark dwarves…then these are nothing but inferior products.” Dwarf Shaman spat as he turned his head to the side.

Rookie Warrior took full advantage of the offer and moved about the room and found a new sword of black steel and sheathed his older sword while opting to follow Goblin Slayer’s approach and placed a layer of chainmail under his armor for extra protection.

“This should be enough…too much armor will throw off my balance.” Rookie Warrior smiled as he looked over his new sword.

“Are you sure you don’t want a set of black armor, you’d look pretty menacing in it.” Apprentice Cleric smirked as she teased her partner.

“Orcbolg, you better make sure to hold onto those weapons. These aren’t like the other ones you normally get, they’re much more durable.”

“Hrm.” Goblin Slayer looked over the items once again and finally replied. “I’ll do my best, but can’t guarantee they won’t be lost.”

“Alright then, enough shopping around, time to get moving, those others are still fighting as we speak.”

Spearman was quite correct and the party got moving through the castle, rejuvenated to have their missing comrade back with them. Meanwhile, Hero and her party continued to battle with the Lich Queen, but it was a losing battle as all they could do was keep the monster at bay. Hero was suddenly struck by the Lich Queen being knocked back to the ground and losing her sword in the process.

“Poor little Hero, just like last night, you’ve lost your sword and now can only cower before me.” Lich Queen chuckled as she slowly approached with swords at her side.

Hero looked up at the Lich Queen, exhausted from the battle and indeed scared of this creature but remembered what Goblin Slayer had said to her before they departed.

“ _Are you the Hero only because you found the sword?_ ”

“I am not the same as I was last night!” Hero was defiant as she looked back at this monster.

“Then die cursing your weakness.” Lich Queen raised her sword and prepared to bring it crashing down upon Hero.

“Catch!” Female Swordmaster rushed forward throwing her sword with all her might.

Hero saw this and quickly caught the sword just as the Lich Queen struck and blocked the attack. As Female Swordmaster rushed forward, she scooped up Hero’s sword to join her comrade. Lich Queen continued to push her swords forward until she was struck by two fire bolts that set her cloak ablaze. With the distraction Hero quickly got back to her feet and joined her party members, where she and Female Swordmaster traded weapons back.

“Thanks! Both of you!”

“My pleasure.” Sage replied with a small nod of her head.

“We will not die in a place like this!” Female Swordmaster too nodded her head and smiled.

“Damn you.” Lich Queen grunted as she gave a quick flutter of her cloak to dispel the flames. “You could have ended your suffering in that moment, but instead you have chosen a much more painful demise ahead of all three of you.”

“We will not be defeated here!” Hero proudly proclaimed as she and her party charged forward to continue the attack.

xxxx

The party then came to a spot where the hallway branched off into three different sections.

“Each path will lead us to a different horcrux, but more than likely the Lich Queen will have them guarded.” Half-Demon Thief cautioned as she looked over the three pathways.

“How many spells does our party still have?” Goblin Slayer looked over the rest of the party.

“I’ve unfortunately used up my spells.” Apprentice Cleric sighed as she hung her head. “I can still help with the wounded.”

“I still…have all of…mine.” Witch smiled.

“I still have three myself Beardcutter.”

“I have one spell left Goblin Slayer.” Priestess smiled as she bowed her head.

“I have only used mine for my Swordclaw.”

“I meant to ask about that Scaly, why haven’t you summoned any of your Dragontooth Warriors?”

“I was concerned that given the Lich’s ability to control the skeletal warriors, she might be able to influence mine.”

“Makes sense, so how should we assault these horcruxes?”

“I shall head down this pathway to the right”

“Hold on there Goblin Slayer, you’re still not a full strength and Guild Girl and the others would never forgive us if something happened to you. You and I shall take the path on the right.” Spearman quickly placed a hand on Goblin Slayer’s right shoulder.

“Understood.”

“We’ll split ourselves up from here then Orcbolg, you make sure you don’t go and do anything else as damn foolish as you did earlier.”

“I will try.”

Goblin Slayer and Spearman rushed off toward the right, while Dwarf Shaman, Lizard Priest, and Witch took off down the middle path, and finally High Elf Archer and the others took down the left path. With Apprentice Cleric and Priestess being at a disadvantage in terms of spells and combat experience, it was decided that they would be paired with the dire wolves and the others.

Down the end of the hall on the right, both Goblin Slayer and Spearman found a single door and immediately kicked it down and stormed in. There in the room were dozens of skeletal warriors who turned with weapons raised and at the front of them was one skeletal warrior dressed from head to toe in black armor. From with its black helmet, the skeleton’s features contorted into a scowl as its eyes blazed with a red light, as it look at the two warriors who entered, it tightened its grip around its battle ax. Behind him, upon a pedestal was the horcrux, a black magic rod with a single blue gem atop it, a relic of the Lich Queen’s past when she was a human sorceress.

“You.” Armored Skeleton glared at Goblin Slayer clenching his free fist so tightly his bones were cracking. “I will slaughter you and feed your remains to the horde. Destroy these foolish mortals! For our queen!”

The skeletal warriors cackled wickedly as they charged forward to attack Goblin Slayer and Spearman and who stood ready to receive them.

“Care for a wager Goblin Slayer?”

“What kind?”

“Whoever kills the fewest of these undead has to buy the other a drink?” Spearman slashed with his spear easily decapitating one of the skeletons

“Hrm…agreed.” Goblin Slayer followed suit and crushed one of the skeleton’s skulls, helmet included, with his mace.

xxxx

Down the center hallway, Dwarf Shaman and the others reached their door and even before opening it, could smell the stench of the undead coming from the room. Lizard Priest broke the door down and the three entered the room to find it full of undead creatures of all races who moaned loudly as they turned to stare at the adventurers. Behind them were two massive skeletons, the remains of trolls, with giant clubs in their boney hands. Between these two troll skeletons was a pedestal, and upon it was the next horcrux, a golden ring with a ruby atop it, a gift from her fiancé as part of their future marriage, that is until she killed him as part of the ritual to become a lich.

“Trolls! This might be a bit tougher than I first imagined.” Dwarf Shaman held onto his hand ax tightly but smirked at the sight.

“Indeed Sir Mage, a living troll was hard enough in that dungeon, so let us see how an undead troll is.”

“Then…let us…show the others…what spell casters can do.”

“Quite correct. I held off thinking the Lich would control them, but with her pre occupied, we will need allies to assist us.” Lizard Priest threw down sic of his dragon teeth catalysts and began the chant. “O horns and claws of our father, Iguanodon, thy four limbs, become two legs to walk upon the earth.”

Two Dragontooth Warriors appeared and charged forward with Lizard Priest to engage the undead while Witch used Magic Missile to obliterate the undead before her.

xxxx

High Elf Archer and her party arrived at their last door to which she eagerly kicked down and before she and her party entered. There inside they found a combination of the undead and skeletal warriors guarding the final pedestal, upon this pedestal was a golden hand mirror, a lingering reminder of the vanity Lich Queen had when she was still human during a time before she forgot her own name.

“There’s the horcrux!” High Elf Archer quickly drew out an arrow and aimed it for the nearest undead. “Leave the undead to me, I want you to focus on the skeletal warriors.”

“Yes ma’am.” Rookie Warrior nodded as he tightened his grip around his sword.

“You two stay back there with the dire wolves.” High Elf Archer was quick with her response to Apprentice Cleric and Priestess as she let loose an arrow.

“We understand, but we can still be of use to you.” Apprentice Cleric replied as she fired a rock from her sling.

“We’ll keep them disoriented for you.” Priestess join Apprentice Cleric in using her sling against the undead, smiling as her rock struck one of the undead in the head. “ _I’m hopeful the Earth Mother won’t be upset with me using this against these undead, at least I can let them rest in peace._ ”

“I’ll leave the horcrux to you then.”

“I’m on it.” Half-Demon Thief drew out her daggers and rushed forward, using her agility as a thief and assassin to avoid the undead and reach the pedestal easily. “Time to end you!”

“I won’t let you traitor!”

Using her daggers, she quickly knocked two knives out of the air and cautiously looked around only to find Half-Demon Assassin appear before him.

“Brother.”

“I’m surprised you made it this far, even more surprised that the human garbage let you live this long too. What are you their pet? Their trophy?” Half-Demon Assassin drew out his own daggers in readiness to attack his sister then paused as he remembered her expression when the armored man saved her from the Lich’s spell. “That armored man…are you his concubine then? Is that why you follow with him?”

“What? What the hell kind of question is that you moron?” She hissed as she stood ready to battle, angry at all the accusations her brother was making, especially about Goblin Slayer. “I am no one’s pet, trophy or concubine! I am a thief and assassin! I am their ally and they…are my friends!”

Half-Demon Assassin stood there with an emotionless expression as he heard his sister say all of this to him in her defiant tone.

“I see…your sense of loyalty has truly been destroyed then by these foolish people. I would have hoped that you would have supported me, but I can see I was wrong. I no longer see you as my sister…I have no surviving family.”

“Brother.” Half-Demon Thief was shocked and hurt to hear him say such things.

“Prepare to die a most painful death.”

**Author’s Note: A short chapter to set up for the final battles and to clear the air on the state of Goblin Slayer, although he and the others are not out of the woods when it comes to dealing with the Lich Queen and her minions. With my vacation coming to an end, I’ll be back to updating the story once every week or two, just depends.**


	28. Chapter 28

“This…this sword is amazing!” Rookie Warrior could not help but smile as his new sword easily slashed through the skeletal warrior, armor included.

Rookie Warrior continued his attack while both Wolf and Snow aided him by grabbing the skeletons by the leg bones and knocking them to the ground. Priestess and Apprentice Cleric managed to kill some of the undead with the strikes to their skulls with the slings while High Elf Archer pressed her own attack, easily slaying the undead with each arrow.

“ _Have to finish these things off quickly…can’t let her get killed by that scum of a brother._ ” High Elf Archer hissed as she caught sight of Half-Demon Thief fighting with her brother.

Half-Demon Thief panted heavily as she wiped the blood from her face, a wound she received from brother due to a quick slash of his daggers. She had managed to avoid any lethal blows, but it was clear she was having to remain on the defensive, while her brother pushed her further away from the horcrux.

“Shouldn’t you just give up already?” He looked at her with cold eyes as if she was nothing more than a clump of mud. “You’re only going to prolong your suffering, and I’m growing quite bored of this.”

“I’m sorry if I’m boring you…but I’m not stopping until that horcux is nothing but shards of glass and the Lich Queen is dust!”

“You impudent wretch!” Finally she had managed to get a true reaction out of him as he face contorted in rage. “My Queen who gave us refuge…gave us purpose…and all you can think of is killing her!”

“Look at what she’s doing! She’s trying to take over the world for herself, she says peace but its senseless murder!” Half-Demon Thief continued to plead in hopes of reaching her brother. “She’s got you turned against your own sister. We swore to each other that we would always look out for one another! Please, help me stop her!”

Half-Demon Assassin looked at her with contempt, every word she said angering him further until he finally smiled, but this smile unnerved Half-Demon Thief.

“I was just going to kill you, but now…now I’m going to make you wish I had killed you first. I will cripple you and force you to watch as flay your “friends” alive in front of you!”

“Brother.”

“Don’t you dare call me that!” Half-Demon Assassin howled with anger as he charged toward his sister.

xxxx

“Magic…Missile.” Witch’s spell flew forward with a burst of purple light and caused the undead to explode around her. “These…creatures can be…quite bothersome.”

“Quite right, but we’re far from being beaten.” Dwarf Shaman smiled as he used his sling to slay the undead, saving his final spells for when they were needed most. “How you holding up Scaly?”

“Their bones are quite tough, almost like trying to break stone.” Lizard Priest avoided the massive club of the troll skeletons then slashed himself only to have his blades barely nick the surface. “And then we have two of them to deal with.”

Lizard Priest looked to the side and avoided the next troll skeleton as he prepared to continue his attack. Within the horde were his two Dragontooth Warriors who slashed through the undead, thankfully being ignored since they themselves were undead as well, just then the Dragontooth Warriors suddenly stopped. The two turned toward Lizard Priest and roared before charging at him, although surprised by this he quickly used his Swordclaw to stop their attack.

“What…what is this?”

“Scaly, you okay?” Dwarf Shaman watched with wide eyes as his two summons had now turned on him. “What the hell happened with those two?”

“I don’t…the Lich Queen! Her magic is influencing them!”

With a grunt he pushed them back and was prepared to attack, but hesitated, even if they were summons they were still connected to him.

“I do not wish to harm you. Please come back to your senses my warriors!”

Suddenly the heavy footstep sounded behind him and as he turned found the troll skeleton standing behind him with club raised for the killing blow.

xxxx

Spearman and Goblin Slayer continued to battle against the skeletal army, avoiding the attacks the best they could but thankfully their armor protected them from any serious injury. Goblin Slayer grunted in approval of the flanged mace in his hands, its weight meant he could use it with just one hand and the metal weapon was far superior to his normal wooden club. Once the last skeletal warrior had been defeated the two worn-out adventurers turned to find the Armored Skelton still standing before the pedestal with his hands upon the handle of his battle ax.

“You two did well.” Armored Skeleton gripped the handle with his right hand and raised his ax. “However as I told you the other night, I do not tire.”

Goblin Slayer and Spearman rushed forward to engage the Armored Skelton but he was ready as he quickly used his ax to deflect their attacks before launching his own counterattack. With the blow from his ax he knocked back Spearman’s spear then stepped forward to punch him across the left side of his jaw. Goblin Slayer too rushed in to fight and pushed the Armored Skelton with his shield then swung his mace toward the skull, but Armored Skelton got hold of his wrist to stop his swing then in an unexpected move head-butted Goblin Slayer knocking him to the ground.

“You’re both exhausted from the earlier fight, I’ll have no trouble being able to see what kind of foolish attack you’re going to try.”

The two adventurers pushed themselves up and prepared to continue the fight, behind this formidable foe was the goal the sought, the horcrux that would weaken the lich, bring out her demise and stop her army from slaughtering any others.

“You may remember the skills of your past self, but your time has come and gone!” Spearman grunted as he wiped the blood from his mouth. “No ghost from the past is going to beat us!”

“This “ghost” has got you two young pups pushed further back, you haven’t gotten any closer to her horcrux and I sure as hell won’t let you advance any further.”

“You won’t stop us here. Now move or be moved.” Goblin Slayer pointed her mace at Armored Skelton.

Armored Skelton looked at this armored man, the one who managed to withstand his queen’s magic and who brought down his forces with his strange explosive magic and water spell, and tightened his grip on his ax.

“You boy, even if it angers her, I will kill you before my queen can get her hands on you.”

xxxx

Sage cried out as she held her injured arm and watched as the ice started to slowly covered her hand and crawl up her arm. Female Swordmaster found herself in the same state as she looked down with worried eyes as ice crept over her leg wound and began to spread slowly toward the rest of her leg. Hero was the only one standing with her sword in hand, but the exhaustion on her face was present as she looked up at the Lich Queen who chuckled at the sight of fallen heroes.

“My, my, my. You’re all doing so much better than you were last night.”

“We…are far…from beaten.” Hero grunted as she stepped forward, every step felt as though she was weighed down with metal boots. “Our comrades will destroy your horcruxes…and you will fall this night.”

“Are you still under the effect of my Illusion little hero? Your companions will soon be my puppets and you may be forced to slay them once they turn against you.”

“You monster! My friends won’t become your slaves and my other comrades will stop you! Your arrogance is your greatest weakness!”

“Your confidence in your “friends” is yours!”

xxxx

“Scaly! You can’t reason with them! Destroy them quickly!” Dwarf Shaman continued to use his sling to smash the undead skulls but the moment he ran out of rocks he then use Stone Blast to obliterate most of the oncoming undead.

Lizard Priest jumped to the side as the troll skeleton brought his club crashing down and as he slowly stood was attacked by one of his summons who slashed at his arm. He hissed as the blood ran from his various wounds and he backed further away from his two summons who stalked toward him. He raised his Swordclaw to destroy the summons, and although he knew it was foolish on his part, lowered his weapon. Skeletons though they may be, they were a part of him and he could not bring himself to strike down the Dragontooth Warriors, as he lowered his weapon.

“I beseech you, do not force me to destroy you.” Lizard Priest closed his eyes and brought his hands together and bowed his head, praying to his ancestors. “ _Honored ancestors, guide these warriors of mine to regain their senses and fight to aid the force of righteousness! Please!_ ”

The two Dragontooth Warriors charged forward followed by the lumbering troll skeletons ready to attack Lizard Priest. Witch and Dwarf Shaman could only look on with wide eyes as they saw this, unable to get to their comrade until this final wave of the undead was destroyed. Just as the Dragontooth Warriors were ready to attack, they stopped short from eviscerating Lizard Priest. Lizard Priest opened his eyes and smiled as the two warriors lowered their arms as they looked toward their summoner with puzzled expressions. Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the troll skeletons drew closer and raised their clubs to strike. One of the Dragontooth Warriors charged toward the further troll skeleton while the one closest to Lizard Priest pushed his summoner out of harm’s way just as the first troll skeleton brought its club crashing down.

Lizard Priest hit the ground and as he looked up saw the Dragontooth Warrior who had pushed him being crushed by the troll’s club, returning it back to its catalysts. The second warrior tried to hold the second troll from moving forward, but like the first, was destroyed by the monster’s weapon. Lizard Priest saw the sacrifice and grew angry as he gripped his swordclaw and stood once again to face these monsters.

“O proud and strange brontosaurus, grant me the strength of ten thousand.”

The miracle of Partial Dragon greatly increased Lizard Priest strength, as he charged forward with a roar to attack the closest troll. With a mighty swing of his swordclaw, he easily broke through the troll’s bones, first severing it club from its arm and then with a second swing destroyed the troll’s shin bones and watched as the massive skeleton fell forward. The second troll stalked forward but stopped as it heard a strange sound, it suddenly looked up to see a massive boulder forming directly above it.

“Come out, you gnoes, it’s time to work, now don’t you dare your duty shirk – a bit of dust may cause no shock, but a thousand make a lovely rock…Stone Blast!”

The dwarf’s spell caused the boulder to fall upon the troll skeleton completely shattering the creature while Lizard Priest destroyed the skull of the other skeleton thus clearing the room completely. Lizard Priest then went about gathering the spent catalysts, happy he was able to avenge his fallen summons and that they had returned to their normal senses in order to save him. The trio of adventurers, though tired approached the pedestal that held the golden ring, the lich’s horcrux.

“We must…destroy…this cursed…item.”

“Indeed, Scaly you want to do the honors?”

“Of course Sir Mage.” Lizard Priest raised his Swordclaw high then brought it crashing down destroying the ring and pedestal in one swipe. “May this action aid in the destruction of this evil heresy!”

xxxx

Goblin Slayer’s armor may have been able to stand up to the repeated claws of the undead, but was not made to hold up to the giant battle ax. Blood ran down his arm and leg where the Armored Skeleton had struck at him, cracking the armor and managing to cut through his chainmail. Spearman didn’t fare much better as blood ran down from his right shoulder where his shoulder armor had been until the Armored Skeleton struck him. Both warriors panted heavily as they forced theselves to take up defensive stances while they looked back at Armored Skeleton, his armor cracked in several spots from their repeated attacks.

“You both have done well, stand down and I shall make your deaths as painless as possible. One quick swipe and I’ll take your head from your shoulders, it would even keep you from being brought back as an undead. Not too bad a choice to select if I do say so myself.”

“The only one losing his head this night is you!” Spearman charged forward with spear raised to give a downward strike.

Armored Skeleton raised his ax to meet this attack and easily blocked the spear, but then caught sight of Goblin Slayer charging forward with mace in his left hand and sword in his right. Goblin Slayer struck at the cracked armor with his mace with enough force to crack some of the ribs then continued with swing of his sword along the left leg forcing the Armored Skeleton to take a knee. Spearman pushed himself back from the battle ax and with a mighty yell charged forward with his spear aiming for the spot Goblin Slayer had struck and pierced through the armor and continued on until his spear’s blade had emerged through the other side of the armor.

Had Armored Skeleton been human, this attack would have been fatal, but all it did was anger him. He swung with the back of his right fist and knocked Spearman to the ground, he then grabbed Goblin Slayer by his neck and lifted him effortlessly before tossing him backwards. Armored Skeleton got hold of the spear and ripped it out of his damaged armor and tossed it aside as he stalked toward Goblin Slayer who had dropped his sword to his right side and was fumbling around for something behind him. Armored Skeleton howled as he brought his ax down striking Goblin Slayer left shoulder, once again tearing into his flesh, and the one saving grace for Goblin Slayer was he managed to grip the top of the ax handle to keep it from completely taking his arm off.

“You damn sack of organs! You can’t hold me back forever!” Armored Skeleton chuckled as he pushed further as his eye sockets flashed red. “You have no idea how much I’m going to enjoy killing you! You won’t steal my queen from me!”

“I have no intention…of taking you queen…for myself. My only goal…is her…destruction.” Goblin Slayer grunted as he did his best to keep the battle ax from going any further while reaching for his sword with his right hand.

“Fool, you think that sword of yours will do any good?”

“The sword is not for you. It’s to light the wick.”

Goblin Slayer raised his sword then quickly struck the ground with enough force to cause a spark with ignited the wick of the granado he had drawn out earlier. He then dropped his sword and got hold of the granado and jammed it into the hole Spearman had created. Armored Skeleton looked down at the sight and could see the smoke rising from his wound, but before he could ponder it any further, Spearman charged forward and slammed into him knocking him off Goblin Slayer as he rolled to the side. Goblin Slayer tore out the ax from his shoulder and Spearman helped him to his feet and both quickly backed away from the smoking skeleton. Armored Skeleton started to rise then quickly went about patting his armor in a futile attempt to put out the fire before looking back at the two warrior with sheer contempt on its skull.

“Damn you both to hell!”

With a thunderous explosion, Armored Skeleton was blown apart by the blast, his armor and fragments of his body flew all around the room, a plume of smoke was all that remained to show where he had once been standing.

“What the hell was that Goblin Slayer?”

“A granado, my last one. You okay?”

“You’re asking me that with that large cut in your shoulder?”

“It won’t keep me from fighting. Now, let us destroy that item.”

Goblin Slayer and Spearman recovered their weapons before slowly making their way toward the pedestal and looked over the magic rod with the gem atop it.

“Destroy it Goblin Slayer.”

Goblin Slayer nodded as he raised his mace and brought it down smashing the rod in two and crushing the gem into dust.

“That makes 25 for me…and you?” Goblin Slayer turned toward Spearman.

“…24…looks like the drinks are on me when we get back.” Spearman smiled as he placed a hand on Goblin Slayer’s undamaged shoulder. “Come on you damn hack, we got a lich to kill.”

xxxx

Half-Demon Thief was knocked to the ground only to look up and see the twisted face of her brother looming over her. He brought his dagger in left hand down to stab her to which she raised her injured hand to catch the blade, she managed to stop his blade but only because it went through her hand. She screamed but continued to grip his hand tightly with hers, and before she could manage any other type of defense he brought his right knee down upon her left wrist as he straddled her chest.

“Get…get off…you bastard.” She gritted her teeth from the pain in her hand and from her wrist.

“I bet you’re used to this, tell me does that human straddle you like this or do you straddle him? How do you look at yourself knowing that it is a human who has defiled you? The same kind that killed mother and father?”

“You damn monster! I am no one’s slave!” She angrily gritted her teeth as her brother twisted his blade. “Are you so damn stupid to forget that our mother was human? We took our revenge against those who hurt us! Who hurt mom and dad! Let your hatred go already.”

“I’ll let go of my hatred…the moment you stop breathing is the moment I will be at peace!”

“You can’t kill me, your precious Lich Queen said I was one of her horcruxes, kill me and you hurt your queen!”

“You a horcrux? Don’t be ridiculous, why would she trust you with such a noble responsibility? No dear sis…traitorous thief, you are nothing more than a pile of shit.” With a crazed smile he raised his dagger in his right hand high, ready to plunge it straight into his sister’s face. “And shit isn’t useful to any of us.”

Before he could stab her, a sharp pain shot through his left leg as she looked down and found an arrow sticking out. He looked back to see the elf from the other night glaring back at him, but that moment of distraction was just what Half-Demon Thief needed. She quickly got her left wrist free from his knee and then plunged her own dagger through his right shoulder. He screamed as he looked back at his sister then heard the growls of the wolves, he looked up to be tackled by the two dire wolves. He screamed as the black dire wolf got hold of his left arm and bit down hard while the white dire wolf right down on his right ankle breaking the bone in her jaws.

Half-Demon Thief sat up and got hold of the knife handle and quickly tore it out of her hand, she looked down to see the blood running from her wound and was rather unnerved to be able to see through the hole, but she could still use it. She quickly went to work wrapping up her injured hand once again and retrieved her second dagger as she walked over toward her brother still being held by the wolves. He looked up at her with disgust on his face despite the pain he was feeling and waited for her to kill him.

“Do it!”

Half-Demon Thief contemplated killing her bother, he had attacked her several times, almost killing her, accused her of being nothing more than a cheap harlot for Goblin Slayer, and threatened to kill her friends. She wanted to kill him, and yet, he was still her brother, her last living relative. She couldn’t bring herself to kill him and instead gave him a swift kick across the face with enough force to knock him out cold. Once he was down she quickly retrieved her other dagger from his shoulder and put her weapons away as she knelt down to check the dire wolves.

“Thank you.” She smiled and she gave the two wolves a gentle pet atop the head then looked back to find High Elf Archer putting an arrow in the final undead. “Thank you.”

“Did you kill that bastard?”

“I…I can’t. He may be a murderous monster, but he’s still my brother.” She looked down at her unconscious brother and despite all he had done to her felt sorry for him. “I may regret letting him live, but I’d like to try and save him.”

High Elf Archer was not too happy to hear this, but being a younger sister herself understood wanting to help their family. With a sigh she smiled and nodded her head in approval then went to work retrieving her arrows for the coming battle with the Lich Queen.

“Priestess, you and Cleric to tie him up, make sure to take any weapons off him first.”

“Of course.”

With the last arrow taken back from the undead, High Elf Archer looked over the carnage of the battlefield and although disgusted at the sight and stench of it all could not help but be proud of all she and her group had accomplished. She saw Half-Demon Thief motion for her to join her by the pedestal, to which she quickly made her way over the bodies and both looked at golden hand mirror before them.

“I take it this was hers?” High Elf Archer turned toward Half-Demon Thief as she looked away from the mirror.

“Maybe when she was human, can’t imagine her looking at herself with this anymore. Do you want to do the honors?”

“With pleasure.” High Elf Archer took hold of the mirror then gave it a good strike against the pedestal and watched as the mirror shattered before her. “We’ve done our part, now, let’s get back to the others!”

xxxx

“You monster! My friends won’t become your slaves and my other comrades will stop you! Your arrogance is your greatest weakness!”

“Your confidence in your “friends” is yours!”

Lich Queen smiled as she marched forward to attack Hero when she suddenly screamed, dropping her swords as she grabbed both sides of her head and stumbled about. Hero looked on with wide eyes at the sight, at first not sure what had caused the Lich Queen such pain then smiled when she realized it must have been the destruction of one of her horcruxes. She charged forward to attack but Lich Queen held out her hands and launched icicles toward Hero forcing the adventurer to roll to the side to avoid the attack.

“Damn you mortals and your…”

She screamed once again this time placing her hands on opposite sides of her stomach as she doubled over in pain. Hero saw this and smiled then heard her comrades call for her and as she turned saw the ice that had been creeping over their bodies suddenly vanished. Female Swordmaster and Sage slowly stood and joined Hero and now all three stood ready to launch their attack only to find the Lich Queen picking up her swords and beneath her veil caught a glimpse of the rage upon her face.

“My…my horcruxes! You miserable piles of filth! I will slaughter you all!”

Once again she attempted to charge forward to attack but now a new pain shot through her body once again forcing her to drop her swords. She screamed with such ferocity that the windows around them shattered, Hero and her party were forced to cover their ears as everything seemed to be shaking round them. Lich Queen dropped to her knees and proceeded to smash her head again the stone floor over and over that she actually began to crack the stone with each strike.

“No…impossible…my…my horcruxes. How…how could they have been destroyed.”

“Alright then let’s finish this.” Hero stood with sword raised and prepared to charge forward.

“Above us.” Sage pointed toward the second level as she saw a figure emerge.

The others looked up to see a figure stained in blood slowly emerge, Lich Queen saw them look upward and followed their gaze and was delighted by what she saw. There on the second level overlooking the throne room was the Goblin Slayer who looked down at the Lich Queen.

“Goblin Slayer.” Hero was shock to see him and immediately felt guilty for having him return as one of the undead.

“My beloved Goblin Slayer, you’ve come.” Lich Queen raised her arms and extended them toward the undead warrior and waited for her power to control him. “Come to me. Come to your mistress.”

Goblin Slayer continued to look toward the Lich Queen when he reached for something behind his back and threw it forward at the Lich Queen. The Lich Queen grunted as the glass vial hit her body and the strange liquid splashed all over her, with wide eyes she looked back at Goblin Slayer and remembered this from the previous night.

“Beloved?”

“Now.”

“Brilliant Inflammarae.”

It only took one single park from the purple fire to completely engulf the Lich Queen’s body in flames. Lich Queen screamed once again as she stumbled around, trying to douse the flames that burned her body but she was suddenly struck by an ax that imbedded itself in her chest. Hero and her party heard looked above them and saw Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest join Witch above.

“We move.”

Goblin Slayer, Spearman and Lizard Priest jumped down from the second level and charged forward with weapons raised each strike the burning Lich Queen forcing her to stumble about with every strike the landed upon her body. Hero and her party suddenly snapped out of their trance and joined the others, Sage launched firebolts the continued the flames around the Lich Queen while both Female Sword Master and Hero struck her with their swords. Hero yelled as she jumped upward with sword raised over her head and brought it crashing down splitting the Lich’s chest open as black blood shot out of her body like a geyser. The Lich Queen stood there momentarily, her body still in flames and blood running from her wounds before toppling over with a heavy thud and lay there motionless.

High Elf Archer and the others rushed toward the sounds of battle, and reached the second level just in time to see the Lich Queen topple over still burning. Half-Demon Thief was stunned to see this but then smiled as she saw the Lich fall before them.

“Yeah, we did it!” Hero cheered as she raised her sword triumphantly.

The others, save Goblin Slayer, also cheered happily at the sight of the downed Lich Queen, but Half-Demon Assassin who finally came to, could only smirk at the sight.

“Fools.” He said with a sinister chuckle.

“What?” Half-Demon Thief looked back toward her brother as did the others at what he said.

The Lich’s body suddenly exploded in a plume of black smoke surprising all in the throne room. The smoke began to swirl about, the gust of icy winds were so strong many felt they might be swept away if they hadn’t held onto something. The plume of smoke then collided with the floor and quickly took shape, when the smoke cleared the Lich Queen stood in the center of the adventurers with both swords in her hands. The veil that covered her face was gone as her skeletal face contorted in in rage and her eyes blazed red.

“You…all of you will die this night for the humiliation you have caused me. Prepare yourselves, for I shall show you what hell is truly like.”


	29. Chapter 29

Goblin Slayer grunted as he used the mace in his left hand to help push his body up, his blood dripped onto the floor from his previous wounds though the pain was bearable, it was his strength that seemed to be failing him. The effect of the stamina potion was beginning to wear off and the accumulated fatigue was finally getting to him. He looked up to see the others adventurers around him also trying to get back to their feet but directly in front of him was the Lich Queen.

“Is it painful beloved?” Her swords in hand vanished as she reached down to grab Goblin Slayer by his neck and lift him up until they were face to face. “I have not forgotten your little trick with that flammable liquid from earlier. I will enjoy making you pay for such treatment of your queen.”

“You…are not…my queen.” Goblin Slayer drew out his sword with his free hand and stabbed it through the Lich Queen’s arm.

The Lich Queen chuckled as she saw this futile struggling then threw Goblin Slayer back to the ground and then removed the blade before tossing it to the ground as well.

“It is true that because of you all I am more vulnerable to attacks, but that only fuels my rage and that gives me more power.” With a wave of her hands strong gusts of icy wind circled through the room with enough force that everyone was thrown around like empty sacks.

The Lich smiled at the sight of the adventurers struggling, her rage would not be sated by killing them instantly, she would need to toy with them until they lay before broken and suffering.

“ _Especially him!_ ” Lich Queen looked back toward Goblin Slayer and smiled as she heard him struggle to get back on his feet. “ _His pain will be most delicious as I drink in his suffering._ ”

The Lich Queen paused as she looked at this man, this man who had intrigued her since last night, there was something about this man that almost seemed familiar to her. She then began to think back to her past, back when she was still a human sorceress, just starting out as a young adventurer…when he was part of her adventuring party.

xxxx

During her early days she found herself wandering through the guild hall of some long forgotten town, she had just registered and was eager to start questing, but what to start with? Rats and goblins seemed beneath her and her abilities, but trying to fight a dragon on her own would be very foolish, she need to find allies that would not hold her back, those she could use as stepping stones to become even greater.

“If you’re looking for a group, we could always use another spell caster on our party.”

She turned to see a human warrior in leather armor and chainmail calling toward her, beside him was a young handsome archer, a female cleric and a male scout. Dwarves, elves and the other non-human races had always kept to themselves, which suited her just fine. The human warrior, the leader of the party, an experienced individual as he had tag of ruby rank around his neck, appeared to be at least ten years older than her. At first glance, this group didn’t seem very impressive, but at the very least they could serve as a form of amusement.

“You better not hold me back.” This young sorceress smirked as she walked toward them.

Their first quest together had been dealing with demons who had been preying upon the local populace. On this mission she had saved her comrades, but was nearly killed herself had their leader not stepped in and taken the blow, though wounded he kept her safe and in that moment had become smitten with this man. After about a year together, this man had given her a golden hand mirror as a present for her birthday.

“Why a mirror?”

“I see you looking at yourself in the reflection of the streams to check your appearance. This should make it easier for you. Though you need not worry…you are most beautiful. Any man would be lucky to have you.”

During this time, the human archer had developed feelings for this sorceress and was aware that she had feelings for their leader, but since he came from nobility he felt that could carry much more weight with it than just being a skilled adventurer.

Another year had passed and she finally managed to bear her feelings toward him, hoping that he would reciprocate.

“I’m truly happy to hear this…but I have nothing to offer you. My only skill is as a warrior, how could I support us and a potential family with just the earnings from these quests? I am not worthy of this affection.”

She was devastated to hear this and in her fit of jealousy began to be more flirtatious with the archer in hopes of making him jealous, sadly it did not. He had been a man focused on his mission, see the quest through and keep the others safe. One mission had gone rather disastrous, on the verge of being slaughtered, their leader instructed the archer to take the others to safety while he stayed behind to cover their escape, knowing full well he would not be coming back. She quickly protested but was pulled away by the archer. She watched for as long as she was able to, seeing the man she loved struck by multiple arrows and stabbed repeatedly yet never screaming or crying out in pain as he continued to fight.

The group had disbanded and she had gone with the archer, as the lord of his castle he felt she no longer need to practice her magic as her main duty would now be taking care of their future children. She looked down at the engagement ring he had given her and then over toward the golden mirror her leader had given to her.

“ _Is this to be my life? Stuck in this prison watching children and letting my skills diminish while he acts as the lord? I was a fool to act that way in front of him…I would have preferred to die alongside him, than live like this._ ” It was then she had a sinister thought come to mind. “ _These mortal races…all they do is kill one another every day, without end. This is why I lost my beloved. I shall find a way to wipe them out, so that my beloved can truly rest in peace. Even if I must sell my soul, I will find a way to make myself the strongest sorceress in all the world._ ”

With that, she went about her transformation into becoming the Lich Queen, no matter how many years it took, she would become an all-powerful being bent on wiping out the mortal races…all for him.

xxxx

“ _A memory from long ago…this man, my beloved…it matters not. My vengeance will not be satisfied until every one of them is a servant in my army of the dead._ ”

“Firebolt!” Sage raised her staff toward the Lich Queen as the flaming projectile flew toward the Lich Queen.

“Stone Blast!” Dwarf Shaman added his spell to help Sage as dozens of rocks flew forward as well.

The Lich Queen gave a wave of her hand and the projectiles were reflected back at their casters. Sage moved to the side but screamed as the firebolt both cut and burned her left shoulder. Dwarf Shaman, standing beside Witch, quickly pushed her to the ground and threw himself over her, grunted as the stone hit the wall around him but debris struck him, slightly cutting his face and back.

“Are, are you ok?” He slowly moved off Witch hissing in pain from his minor injuries.

“I am…thank you…but…what about…you?” Witch was concerned when she saw the state of Dwarf Shaman beside her.

“Nothing too serious. Besides, I won’t have a comrade injured by my own spell.” Dwarf Shaman smiled as he looked toward Witch, but internally was worried. “ _That’s the last of my spells. I’m down to my sling and I don’t feel quite as confident using that against the Lich Queen._ ”

Half-Demon Assassin smiled as he started to use the small file concealed in his glove, though his daggers had been removed he still had plenty of weapons hidden, ready to kill the three young girls in front of him.

“She must still have a horcrux!” High Elf Archer rolled to the side as the Lich Queen struck the area she had been standing moments ago.

“The fourth horcrux.” Half-Demon Thief immediately thought back to what the Lich Queen had said about her.

Hands shaking as she watched her friends fighting a losing battle down below and started to move her hands, when Priestess placed her hand upon hers.

“What…what are you…”

“No. You’re not going to sacrifice yourself.”

Half-Demon Assassin stopped himself in the middle of cutting the ropes, surprised that this human would stop his sister from taking her life.

“But unless I die, the Lich will kill the others.”

“That truth has not been confirmed my dear.” Lizard Priest slashed left and right at the Lich only to be knocked back against the wall. “There is something we’re overlooking. Her Crown! Her Swords! Something!”

“But you can’t...she’ll kill you all! I can save you if I’m gone!”

“No.” Goblin Slayer pushed himself up once more with both weapons in hand. “We…we will defeat her.”

“But you’ll die unless her horcrux is destroyed.”

“So be it.” Goblin Slayer walked forward his eyes ablaze within his helmet. “I’ll see this quest through and help you…I’ve still got goblins to slay when this is done.”

Lich Queen was taken aback by his comment and for a brief moment saw her deceased beloved before the image returned to Goblin Slayer. She steeled herself for the task at hand and charged forward to meet Goblin Slayer’s attack.

Half-Demon Assassin was also shocked by what he had heard from those who claimed to be his sister’s friends. Even now as they struggled to fight the Lich Queen, and were given the option of destroying the final horcrux, they refused to take her life.

“ _These people…they’re different from what I expected. Perhaps…my sister was right._ ” He continued to cut through the ropes the bound him. “ _Then…perhaps there is still a chance for me to set things right?_ ”

He finished cutting through his ropes and drew out a hidden knife from his boot and rushed forward. Half-Demon Thief turned toward the noise and quickly pushed both Priestess and Apprentice Cleric out of harms. Her brother grazed her shoulder as she too moved out of the way then drew out her daggers to defend herself.

“Brother.”

“We finish this.” He rushed forward and began slashing at her, but to the trained eye it was a very distinctive pattern.

“What…what are you doing?” Half-Demon Thief could easily see what he was doing, but could not understand why he was attacking in such a manner.

The others down below could see this happening, but to their surprise it was the Lich Queen who was the angriest at this.

“You damn fool, get away from there right now!”

“Not until I have finished what I must do my queen.”

The Lich Queen grew angry but had to focus on the other adventurers around her, in a few moments she would deal with the others still on the second level. Half-Demon Assassin grew impatient as his sister continued to act on the defensive and knew more drastic measures would be needed, he turned and focused his attention on Priestess.

“Then you will die first!” Half-Demon Assassin charged forward with blade in hand ready to stab Priestess.

“No!” Half-Demon Thief rushed after her brother, determined to keep him from killing her friend.

Once he was close enough, he turned back toward his sister and held his arms out to his side. Half-Demon Thief saw this but could not stop herself in time as she rammed her dagger into his chest. With a cough blood ran from his mouth as he looked down at the blade that had pierced his chest directly in his heart.

The Lich Queen screamed once again dropping her swords as she stumbled around crashing into the walls around her in a horrific display. She looked up with wide eyes at the sight of Half-Demon Thief stabbing her brother in the chest, she raised her hands determined to skew her body with icicles but suddenly two wolves leapt forward, each grabbing her wrists and pulling her back to the ground.

“You damn animals get off me!” She angrily shook her arms in an attempt to get the dire wolves off of her but they would not let go.

Half-Demon Assassin had collapsed to his knees, his breathing becoming ragged as he pulled out the dagger and let it clatter to the ground. Half-Demon Thief’s hands were shaking as she placed them over his wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

“Brother…why?”

“You can’t…stop her…until the final horcrux is destroyed.”

“But…you…I thought…”

“I was…the only mortal she could trust…her last connection to the living world.” Despite the pain he smiled as he looked at his sister. “I was wrong…wrong about them…and wrong about you. I’m sorry…for everything…as a brother…I’ve failed.”

“Brother that’s not true…you were tricked by her.”

“Live your life…the way you choose…sist…”

Half-Demon Assassin slumped forward into his sister’s arms, tears running down her face as she hugged her brother’s body.

“Enough!” Lich Queen suddenly stood and threw the wolves off her.

She glared at them but suddenly felt a terrible pain in her shoulder, she turned to see Spearman stabbing through her right shoulder. Before she could react three arrows pieced through her body from High Elf Archer’s bow. Female Swordmaster, Lizard Priest, Rookie Warrior and Goblin Slayer charged forward taking turns slashing at her body, her black blood spilling to the ground with every strike.

“ _No…am…am I dying? How…how could this have happened? Centuries of being alive? The rise and fall of empires? The Heroes who came and fell! Now, this group…has bested me?_ ” She then looked back toward Goblin Slayer this one man and his tactics had caught her off guard far too often. “ _No…I will not die here tonight!_ ”

With a yell, she knocked everyone away, it took nearly all of her strength to do it, but she bought herself the precious time she needed. Her formed changed back to the voluptuous woman Goblin Slayer had seen the night before as she staggered toward him. She created a single icicle in her right hand and coated it with her blood before stabbing it into one of his open wounds. Goblin Slayer grunted from the pain as he turned to see the icicle in his shoulder then looked back toward the Lich Queen and saw a gentle smile upon her face.

“Beloved.” She gently placed her right hand upon his chest and then her left hand on the side of his helmet. “You…you will never be rid of me.”

The Lich Queen leaned forward and kissed his helmet before standing and returning to her original form once again. She groaned as she turned and found Hero standing before her with her holy sword ready to deliver the final blow.

“You…you may kill me here…but there are still other horrors in the world for you to face…you’ll die and end up failing eventually.”

“Then until that day, I will grow stronger and continue to fight!”

Hero leapt forward and with a powerful swing of her sword decapitated the Lich Queen. The Lich Queen’s head hit the ground and rolled toward her throne while her body fell forward with such force that the throne room shook. The adventurers stood there, waiting to see if she would get back up but to their relief saw her body dissolve into black dust.

“We…we are victorious!” Hero cheered as she held her sword high.

The others cheered as well, but while this was going on Priestess and Apprentice Cleric were comforting Half-Demon Thief as she sobbed while cradling her brother’s body. Before they could celebrate for very long the castle started to shudder as dust and rubble began to rain down upon them.

“The castle…with her gone this castle is collapsing!” Half-Demon Thief looked around worried that they had defeated the lich only to be buried alive in the castle.

“We need to move.” Goblin Slayer grunted as he stood then tore the icicle out of his shoulder.

“You all get down here quickly! No telling how long this castle will be left standing!” Spearman nervously looked around as he heard the sound of the rock cracking and crumbling around him!

The five remaining adventurers, and Half-Demon Assassin’s body, were quickly helped to the lower level, Lizard Priest carrying the fallen assassin over his shoulder as the group started running for the entrance. As expected, the skeletal warriors and undead had collapsed the moment the Lich Queen was defeated, meaning there was nothing to hamper their escape. Outside the castle the group turned to watch as the structure crumbled and fell, then before the dust had cleared the ice and rock on the nearby mountain fell as well, burying the remains.

“It’s…it’s like the Earth is filling in the grave of this site.” Priestess exhausted from the ordeal bowed her head and silently prayed to the Earth Mother.

“I say good riddance, no one needs to know that such horrors occurred here.” Spearman spat to the side before carefully placing a hand on his injured shoulder.

Apprentice Cleric sighed as a defeated look crossed her face, her friend immediately took notice.

“What’s wrong?” Rookie Warrior grew concerned for his partner.

“We forgot to get the treasure.” She sulked at the thought that they came away with nothing from the castle.

“Let’s get back to the fortress! I’m hopeful that our victory here did not come too late for my Uncle.”

“Yes…and we must properly deal with this poor soul as well.” Lizard Priest was of course talking about the body of Half-Demon Assassin.

Half-Demon Thief was beside herself as she looked down at her blood-stained hands, her brother’s blood, and lamented having to kill him.

“ _I…I wanted to save him._ ”

She then felt a heavy hand upon her shoulder and looked back to see Goblin Slayer behind her.

“We’ll have a proper burial for your brother.”

“Thank you.” She nodded her head, tears still present in her eyes.

The battle weary group slowly made their way back to the wagon to begin the long trek back to the dwarven fortress.

xxxx

“Victory!” Honored Uncle raised his ax high as the last of the skeletons and undead collapsed to the ground.

As the sun broke over the horizon, the remaining warriors cheered as well, then went about the rather unpleasant task of rolling the dead into the burning trenches, a precaution to unsure no further undead would rise up. The preparations they made were indeed very helpful as they reduced the number of casualties they suffered losing only a hundred more over the long battle while their enemy had been completely defeated.

Honored Uncle, Elf Leader and Human Commander chose to wait despite being tired from the two days of constant fighting, they would wait for the group of adventurers to return. It was late in the afternoon when the wagon came down the pathway leading toward the fortress. The exhausted adventurers disembarked from the wagon, but before there could be any celebration, they needed to tend to Half-Demon Assassin. Goblin Slayer, Spearman and Lizard Priest went to work digging the grave before placing his body into the ground, once buried Priestess went about praying for those who had been lost over these two nights that they find some measure of peace and know their sacrifices had not been in vain. 

Before returning to their rooms, each adventurer’s wounds were healed by the some of the human spell casters, but once inside every person immediately fell asleep, their long fight finally over. They slept through until the next morning where they finally had the energy to go and eat a hearty meal, down in the dining hall Hero and her party were treated like conquering heroes, but for the girls they certainly didn’t feel as though they had truly earned it. For some of the other adventurers, such as Spearman and High Elf Archer, they were a bit annoyed that they weren’t also being treated like heroes, but the rest of the party was just thankful for the food.

“You know…after all of that, I think I’d prefer to go after goblins.” Dwarf Shaman mused as he took a bit of the roast before him.

“I would tend to agree sir mage, hunting the little devils would be a welcome change after the constant undead we encountered.” Lizard Priest smiled as he happily dined on his meat and cheese.

“I don’t know about going after goblins, but I’ve had enough undead to last a lifetime.” Spearman added as he massaged his injured shoulder.

“Does it…still hurt?”

“Nowhere near as bad as last night? Don’t you worry I’m perfectly fine.” He smiled and nodded at her with a wink.

“I am…relieved. If need be…I could…kiss your wound…to make it…feel better.”

“Don’t, don’t be ridiculous. I’m not some child.” Spearman blushed as he took a swig of his ale.

The others all laughed, for Priestess though there was the lingering thought of nearly losing Goblin Slayer last night, but she need only look over at him to see he was still there.

“Uh Goblin Slayer, what about you? How are your injuries?”

“Fine. Nothing serious.”

“After last night, I don’t want to hear you mention anything about what you consider serious or not Orcbolg! I’d say you took at least a thousand years off my life with that stunt you pulled.”

“Sorry.”

“Uh Goblin Slayer…I meant to ask, when the Lich Queen kissed you, what did she say?”

All eyes were upon him, very few had seen the Lich Queen transform and kiss him, but for three certain women they were very aware of this action and curious to know what happened in full detail.

“She said “You’ll never be rid of me.” Nothing more.”

“What do you think she meant?” Half-Demon Thief slightly jealous to hear that the Lich Queen had kissed Goblin Slayer.

“I don’t know.”

“Perhaps it was her way of saying you’d never forget fighting some of her power or strength Milord Goblin Slayer.”

“Perhaps. It doesn’t matter.”

“And your shoulder where she stabbed you, is that okay Goblin Slayer?”

“Fine.”

The party members continued to laugh and eat within the dining hall discussing what they had encountered in the castle and their plans for the upcoming New Year celebration. Soon Honored Uncle came with a rather solemn look upon his face as he walked over toward his nephew.

“Honored Uncle, why the long face? Has something happened?”

“You all need to come with me, there’s something we need to discuss in council chambers…and you’re not going to like it.”

xxxx

“What the hell do you mean we can’t submit this quest to the guild?” High Elf Archer found her hands shaking from her rage as she heard the news.

“No one must know about what happened here. No mention of the Lich Queen or her army in the thousands, none of it.” Human Commander sighed as he was forced to tell them all of these restrictions.

“Just what the hell do you think you’re trying to pull? We risked our lives to make sure you and the others survived last night’s assault!” Spearman too was furious as he heard the Human Commander spout off this nonsense.

“You have to think about the world here. What would they think if they heard the Hero was nearly defeated and had to be saved by adventurers of lower rank?”

“Don’t you dare make this about us?” Hero walked forward angry about her comrades not being able to gain any credibility from this quest, but now furious as she and her party were being made the scapegoats. “We’re only here to celebrate this victory because of their bravery.”

“Exactly. It wasn’t gold ranked adventurers who saved you, but silver and lower. Who would ever take the title of Hero serious if they found you had to be saved by others? That you screamed and cowered before the Lich Queen. There would be panic and no one would feel safe if they knew of a weak Hero.”

“This…this is not right.” Hero could understand what Human Commander was saying but she didn’t have to agree with it. “These people also risked their lives as we did, they should be able to get credit for their hard work.”

“No one can talk about it. By order of the king, all information is to be suppressed.” Human Commander sighed as he thought about everything he had unloaded on them. “As compensation for your work each of you will be given five bags of gold.”

For Priestess, Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric the news they would not be getting any credit from this, and they would not be able to move up in ranks, was crushing to their self-esteem.

“Come on, these three deserve to be able to move up the ranks, you can’t deny them.” Spearman took note of the three young ones sadden expressions and hoped he could at least get credit for them.

“Sorry, but the king’s decision stands. You have my thanks as well as the king’s.”

Honored Uncle and Elf Leader were also upset with this decision, unfortunately they were not in any position to speak out against the king.

“Then our business has been concluded here. We can depart tomorrow morning.” Goblin Slayer turned with a grunt and made his way toward the door while the others looked on with surprised looks on their faces.

“I do hope you understand reasons for this decision Goblin Slayer.” Human Commander called out, though thankful for his suggestions, not completely trusting of this adventurer. “It’s for the good of the world.”

“I’m not fighting for the world.” Goblin Slayer paused before exiting the room to turn and look back toward the leaders. “I was fighting to help a friend.”

The rest of his party was surprised to hear this comment, but were immediately thrilled when they did. The rest of his party members followed behind their leader, immediately forgetting about their anger toward the Human Commander. Hero and her party though held back, and it was Hero who walked toward him.

“I’m sorry, we can’t do any…”

Before he could finish Hero punched him across the jaw knocking him to the ground.

“You bastard!” Hero and her party quickly turned to catch up with Goblin Slayer and the others.

“Goblin Slayer wait!” Hero called out to Goblin Slayer to stop him and his party.

Goblin Slayer and the others turned to see the trio of young women approaching.

“I…I wanted to apologize. You all deserve much better than what he’s saying.”

“It doesn’t matter to me. Our quest is done so we’ll be going tomorrow after a day of rest.”

Hero looked at odd man and chuckled, even after everything she had been through, he was the most unusual of all.

“I’m going to miss working with you. You’re leaving just like…” Hero paused as she recalled the adventurer who saved her village some six years ago, he had left the moment his job was completed and he had only told her, she looked back at Goblin Slayer and studied his helmet carefully. “You’re helmet…did it use to have horns before?”

“My helmet? Yes, it had horns but they were torn off long ago.”

Hero looked at the man, her heart racing as she heard him mention the horns on his helmet and immediately rushed forward toward him wrapping her arms his waist and hugging him tightly, much to the shock of the other girls.

“It’s you. You’re the one who saved my village all those years ago. You came alone, had us bring in our harvest and were making stakes for the goblins.”

“Hmm. I do remember a village…a sister was the one who spoke with me…and a little girl as well.”

“That was me! You inspired me to be an adventurer! You saved me then and now!” Hero released her grip around his waist tears of joy in her eyes. “Thank you so much for everything.”

“I’m glad. You’ve done well. Perhaps we’ll meet again someday.”

“I…I would like that sir.” Hero nodded her head a slight blush present across her face.

Goblin Slayer nodded toward the trio once again then turned to make his way back down to the dining hall. The women in Goblin Slayer’s party were slightly annoyed to see Hero so friendly with Goblin Slayer, but pushed it aside as they followed behind him. Hero watched him walk away and felt the heat in her face and brought her hands towards her chest as her heart raced.

“You okay?” Female Swordmaster walked up to her right side to check her friend.

“That’s…that’s twice he’s come to save me, it must be fate! I’m going to work even harder to become a hero truly worthy of him…wait for me Goblin Slayer!”

“Wait for…you don’t mean…” Sage was surprised by the comment and the implications that came with it.

Hero smiled, the blush still present on her face, before she and her party went back to the dining hall to join Goblin Slayer and the others.

xxxx

The next morning, Goblin Slayer and his party went about loading up the wagons with their supplies and rewards before they departed that morning. Half-Demon Thief stood by the dirt mound and small stack of stones that represented her brother lamenting all that had happened to and between them.

“ _This will be the last time I’m able to see you dear brother. I’m sorry I was unable to save you like I wanted, but your sacrifice saved not only me but the whole world. You’re a hero even if no one says it._ ”

“You okay?”

Half-Demon Thief turned to see Goblin Slayer slowly walked toward her followed by the two dire wolves.

“Yes sir, just saying my final goodbyes.”

“In the end, he gave his life to save his sibling… as any older sibling would.” Goblin Slayer looked down at the grave and his older sister came to mind.

“Goblin Slayer…do you have family?”

“I had an older sister…but that was long ago.”

“Did…did she also try to help and protect you the way my brother did?”

“…yes…”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Half-Demon Thief felt sad about mentioning that to him and yet felt happy to know that someone else knew what she was going through. “Can I ask you something?”

“I can’t promise an answer.”

“You’re terrible you know that? Would…would it be alright if I continued to travel with you and your party?” She turned toward Goblin Slayer waiting on pins and needles to see how he would respond.

“You’re free to do whatever you wish…I don’t mind.”

Half-Demon Thief started to cry while nodding her head, happy that she could continue her journey with the friends, true friends, she had made.

“Th…thank you sir.”

The party members loaded up on the wagons, the girls in the second wagon with Snow while the men were in the first with Wolf. Dwarf Shaman had finished his final goodbyes with his Uncle and promised to continue his work to properly represent his people. As the wagons got moving, Goblin Slayer grunted as he started to rub his left shoulder.

“You ok Goblin Slayer, sir?” Rookie Warrior wondering if his previous injuries were still bothering him.

“Fine…my shoulder just feels…cold.”

xxxx

Elsewhere, that night was the time of the month where the green moon was no longer visible and only the red moon was out. Female Knight grunted as Heavy Warrior bandaged up her injured arm, a slight blush present on her face being near her lover.

“How are you feeling?” Heavy Warrior asked as he finished wrapping her arm.

“F…fine. Actually, I feel rather foolish for being bit by that wolf.” Female Knight sighed and smiled at him worrying about her.

Heavy Warrior and his party had been summoned to his village to deal with a large wolf that had been terrorizing their farm for roughly a week every month. To their surprise another group was there ready to help, not wanting any part of the reward, only to capture the wolf alive. Now on this final night where the red moon was out, they finally found the wolf, though Female Knight had been wounded in the battle, the wolf was capture just as the other group had wanted.

“That should do it.” Half-Elf Warrior sighed as he wiped the sweat from his brow after he and Scout Boy helped load the cage onto the wagon.

“Thank you boys, we would have had a hard time trying to catch this thing by ourselves.” Animal Tracker said with a smile as he motioned toward his partner in the driver seat of the wagon.

“What are you going to do with this thing?” Scout Boy wondered as he back away from the cage as the wolf snarled at them.

“We’ll train him, sell him to a circus or for a fare, that sort of thing?” Animal Tracker smiled toward them, though his smile made both boys feel rather uncomfortable. “Thanks again boys.”

Before the wagon rode off down the road Half-Elf Warrior caught sight of something that was quite unusual, but was more concerned with the rest of his party. Heavy Warrior and the rest of his party joined back with him to survey the area before returning back to the village to report the capture of the beast.

“Are you okay?” Druid Girl asked her other female companion.

“Please, this little wound is nothing to a future Paladin.”

“Something bothering you?” Heavy Warrior noticed that Half-Elf Warrior was rather quiet on the way back.

“Nothing really, just thought I saw something odd about that wolf before the wagon took off.”

“Looked like an ordinary wolf to me, what did you see?” Scout Boy was curious for he saw nothing out of the ordinary.

“Before the wagon left, I swear I saw the wolf stand up on its hind legs and grip the bars of the cage with its front paws like a man.”

**Author’s note: I have one final filler chapter to finish off this section of story, but this can be viewed as the conclusion to the Lich Queen Arc, but is it really the end? And now our other guild compatriots may have given us a clue as to what we’ll seeing soon. I’m glad everyone found Half-Demon Thief and Snow to be enjoyable characters, they were a lot of fun to write and keep around.**


	30. Chapter 30

“I…I can’t shake this feeling that something terrible has happened to him.”

In the guild hall, both Cow Girl and Guild Girl sat at a nearby table, both had saddened and worried looks about their faces as they discussed Goblin Slayer. In the middle of them was a letter Guild Girl had received from the Sword Maiden, within the letter were the same concerns over Goblin Slayer’s wellbeing. Cow Girl took up the letter, she had already read it before, but felt the need to reread the information within.

“ _I write this letter with a heavy heart. I have had a vision of Goblin Slayer, and what I fear may be his passing. This feeling of dread will not leave me, I had hoped to come and visit during the New Year Celebration, but I fear I may be coming sooner if the worst has come to pass. As those who see him far more than I am able to, though it may be painful, could you please inform me of Goblin Slayer’s status? If…if he has truly left us, I would wish to seek solace with those who also cared for him._ ”

“Your friend…Sword Maiden.” Cow Girl set the letter down and closed her eyes worried that she might start crying again.

“I know…I feel the same way too.” Guild Girl weakly smiled as she placed her hand over Cow Girl’s

In truth, this feeling of hopelessness was affecting their duties, Cow Girl found herself unfocused in her tasks on the farm and Guild Girl was no longer smiling as she greeted adventurers who approached her desk. Cow Girl’s uncle conversed with the guild manager, both were worried about the young women and could not think of any way to break them out of their depression. They heard what had transpired to set them off, and at first chalked it up to mere superstition, but upon hearing of the Sword Maiden also sensing something, now they themselves weren’t so sure.

“The snow is finally collecting around us, probably not as cold as what he’s been dealing with up in the mountains?” Guild Girl tried to lighten the mood with small talk, but found that just mentioning him made her feel upset.

“I…I just wish we could get some news. I’ve never felt this bad before, even when he came home from the quest last year and collapsed in front of me, I knew he’d eventually be okay.”

The girls sighed once again, the dining area in the guild would soon be filling up by the lunch rush as adventurer returned from the excursions, both big and small, but for these two that was not cause for any form of celebration. Cow Girl lay her head down upon the table, his table, hoping that he would return soon, that all these signs were just mere silliness on their part. As she sighed she suddenly heard something that got her attention, the sound of a dog barking, but this bark sounded far deeper than a normal dog. She picked her head up and looked around the Guild trying her best to determine from which direction the noise had come from, this action instantly caught Guild Girl’s attention.

“What is it?”

“Shhh, I thought I heard something.”

Both girls paused as they strained to listen for the noises outside the guild hall and once again heard the sound of a dog barking, what’s more they heard what sounded like two large dogs barking. Both girls looked toward the doors, the muffled sounds of voices could be heard as they drew closer, for them they dared to hope that he would enter. The doors to the guild hall opened as the bell above the doorway jingled and in stepped a man in dirty leather armor, a small shield attached to his left arm, this man walked in with a bold stride and paused as he looked toward the front desk as if he was looking for someone. The figure then turned toward its left and looked toward the two girls, who looked back at him with wide eyes. Both Uncle and Guild Manager were also shocked to see this familiar adventurer walked into the guild hall.

“Gob…Goblin Slayer?” Guild Girl slowly started to rise from her seat.

“Is it really you?” Cow Girl also stood clutching her hands close to her chest.

“I’ve returned.”

Both girls rushed forward and embraced him as tears ran down their faces, the other adventurers soon entered the guild hall and saw the sight. For Spearman, he growled in frustration, but could at least let it slide considering Goblin Slayer had nearly died and they were happy to see him back safely.

“Is everything okay?” Goblin Slayer was confused by their sudden actions.

“It…it doesn’t matter, you’re back safely.” Cow Girl squeezed her friend tighter.

“Yes…I’m so relieved to have you back Goblin Slayer.”

Goblin Slayer was still confused by their actions, but would not deny them their hug. Soon the two girls soon released their grip on Goblin Slayer and said their hellos to the other returning adventurers. Uncle and Guild Manager smiled at the knowledge that the two young girls would be alright and went about their own business.

“Welcome back, you okay?” Uncle stopped by Goblin Slayer and placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder.

“I am sir, thank you.”

“You need to stop making my niece worry so much.”

“I will try sir.”

Uncle sighed before exiting the guild hall, he would allow his niece to continue conversing with her friends. Cow Girl and Guild Girl explained their worry to the others girls, and soon they could understand why both young women acted the way they had.

“Truth be told, there was a time where we all feared the same thing.” Priestess explained as she thought back to the almost traumatic experience of thinking he was really gone.

“What happened?” Cow Girl was both curious and terrified to hear what had transpired.

“Evidently Orcbolg had helped out his comrades when surrounded by the undead but was caught by them. We feared he had been consumed by those monsters, but his armor kept him from being bitten.”

“Thank the gods he is alright.” Guild Girl closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief then thought back to her broken tea cup. “ _When he was caught by those monsters and thought to be lost, that must have been the reason for the cup breaking._ ”

“I’m sorry, it was my fault.”

Both Cow Girl and Guild Girl looked toward the new voice, to see the young woman with light blue skin, short pink hair and bright yellow eyes nodding toward them. Cow Girl and Guild Girl were immediately suspicious, not because this young woman was a demon, but because Goblin Slayer had brought back another beautiful woman with his party.

“How do you all do?” Half-Demon Thief lightly smiled as she looked over these two young woman but her mind immediately went elsewhere. “ _Look at these two, they’re so…well balanced, maybe that dwarf cook was on to something._ ”

“How nice to meet you.” Guild Girl gave her usual smile as she looked over this young woman but her tone indicated something more ominous. “What did you mean it was your fault?”

“ _Is this Goblin Slayer’s lover? She seems pretty intense._ ” Half-Demon Thief gulped as she felt intimidated before Guild Girl. “He and his party recused me from my pursuers, when we separated into groups to deal with the…deal with the undead, our group was trapped he helped get us all out to safety. A party member dropped their weapon and I went to retrieve it, wasting precious time, Goblin Slayer got me to safety, but could not get himself out. I too thought he had been lost.”

“So…he helped you? I see.” Cow Girl sighed before smiling and taking the young girls hands into her own. “I’m glad you both made it back safely.”

“I…thank you.”

“I apologize for my earlier tone, I was wondering what you had meant when you claimed you were at fault for what happened to Goblin Slayer. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise. I’ll be honest and not try to hide my race, I am a Half-Demon, a thief and assassin by trade.”

“A Half-Demon?” Guild Girl was slightly surprised to hear this, she had figured this young woman was a dark elf given her appearance.

“So…does that mean you are affiliated with the Demon Lord’s minions?” Cow Girl was also curious as to why this young demon would be following with Goblin Slayer.

“I am not a Demon Lord worshiper, just someone looking to repay the favor provided by this brave adventurers. Also…I’d like to apply to be an adventurer?”

Both girls were surprised by these comments, never before had a demon come to work as an adventurer. They had always been seen as chaotic evil, looking to spread misery everywhere they went in an attempt to resurrect the Demon Lord.

“Welcome to the guild, in a moment we’ll get your paperwork filled out, even though I can tell you are an experienced individual, you’ll have to start at the rank of porcelain.” Guild Girl smiled as she nodded toward Half-Demon Thief.

“Porcelain? You mean as a beginner?”

“You are just starting with us. Even Wolf is still a porcelain, although he should be moving up to obsidian after I submit the quest details.”

“Oh speaking of Wolf…this young demoness isn’t the only new face Orcbolg brought back with him.”

The girls looked around to see the rest of the party to see Wolf enter but was now followed by a large white dire wolf. Instantly both Cow Girl and Guild Girl were shocked and delighted to see this new wolf enter the guild hall.

“On my goodness, how pretty!” Guild Girl’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the white dire wolf.

“A white wolf! Is it a boy or a girl?” Cow Girl too was happy to see this massive beast.

“A female.” Priestess smiled as she watched the two dire wolves examining the guild hall.

Cow Girl and Guild Girl maneuvered around the rest and slowly approached the two dire wolves. Wolf’s tail starting wagging the moment he saw the two girls and approached while Snow was cautious. Snow slowly approached the women, watching as they pet Wolf, then tensed as they moved to touch her. Like the others before, they happily pet the massive wolf, and in turn, she too started to wag her tail at the attention she was getting. These humans were far different from what she had been used to dealing with and could now understand why Wolf was so friendly and trusting of them.

“What’s her name?” Cow Girl turned toward Goblin Slayer wondering what he would call this one.

“Her name is Snow.”

“Snow…I’m glad to see you came up with a bit of a more creative name than just Wolf.” Guild Girl remarked though she had a sneaking suspicion that he only called her that because of her white fur. “I’m just relieved to see that you have all made it…”

As Guild Girl approached Goblin Slayer something unusual happened, Snow moved forward between the two of them and used her body to push Goblin Slayer away from Guild Girl, she was not growling but made sure to keep her eyes on Guild Girl.

“ _Did…she just push Goblin Slayer away?_ ” Guild Girl was shocked by this but quickly dismissed this as a nothing more than a silly idea. “As I was saying, I glad that you are okay Goblin Slayer. Both you and Wolf over he…”

Guild Girl turned to pet Wolf once again, and as before Snow walked with purpose and put herself between the two, pushing Wolf away from this woman with her body. Cow Girl and the others saw this were shocked by what they were seeing, save Goblin Slayer who was oblivious to the situation.

“ _She did it again! That’s not fair, you hog both of them to yourself._ ” Guild Girl turned toward High Elf Archer with a disbelieving expression upon her face. “I’m not imaging things am I?”

“No, we noticed it too on the way back. The moment any individual girl gets too close to either Wolf or Orcbolg she gets between them?”

Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest chuckled to themselves as they saw this sight, while for Priestess, Cow Girl, Guild Girl, High Elf Archer and Half-Demon Thief there was one collected thought going through their heads.

“ _Great…another rival to deal with._ ”

The groups happily laughed and conversed as they moved from the guild entrance to the dining hall to enjoy a large lunch together. The Dwarven Blacksmith heard the commotion and came up to investigate, the moment he saw Goblin Slayer his first thought was to discover how all of his items faired on this most recent of quests.

“So you finally came back! Tell me lad how did everything turn out?”

“All the items were very useful! Wolf’s armor protected him quite well, he seemed to be able to move about with no trouble.”

“Good to hear! And what’s this, you found another wolf too huh?” Dwarven Blacksmith looked over the white dire wolf and smirked. “I’ll get to work on a set of armor for her too then? I’ll give it a silver and blue pattern to match her eyes.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh that reminds me, tell me about your quest. How did it go with the undead?” Guild Girl was curious to know what had happened on a quest that was so different from his usual goblins.

The party members immediately were silent as they recalled what had been told to them before leaving the dwarven fortress. For the younger adventurers there was the look of defeat on their faces, which deeply concerned Guild Girl and Cow Girl.

“We…we can’t go into detail here. Let’s just say we were successful!” Dwarf Shaman had a solemn look about his face as he said this.

“Was…was it that bad?” Cow Girl too was curious what had happened that they could not openly discuss the quest.

“When we get home, I’ll explain.” Goblin Slayer was calm in his delivery as he ate his meal then looked back toward Guild Girl. “Tomorrow, in the private offices we will explain everything.”

Guild Girl and Cow Girl were silent as thought about what had been said, they each had their own ideas in their head, but settled on not prying any further.

“Then I shall wait until tomorrow to hear about your quest. Before you leave though, we’ll need to get both of your new comrades registered with the guild.” Guild smiled as she nodded toward Snow and Half-demon Thief.

The large group went about finishing their meal before going back to the guild entrance to register both new party members. Once that was done, Cow Girl, Goblin Slayer, and the two dire wolves made their way home while High Elf Archer and the others showed Half-Demon Thief to her new room. For Half-Demon Thief it was a new experience to find her own quarters, not having to look over her back to watch for others who would be trying to kill her, and was thrilled to find her friends were nearby.

“I think I’m going to enjoy being an adventurer rather than just an assassin.”

xxxx

As promised, Goblin Slayer did explain the situation to Cow Girl, though he himself was not concern with receiving any credit, Cow Girl felt frustrated for him.

“ _He worked so hard, protected the Hero and he can’t get any credit for it…it’s not fair!_ ” She sighed angrily but soon let it pass as she smiled and was able to pet Snow and Wolf. “I’m really glad your home both of…no wait now it will be all of you.”

“Your uncle doesn’t mind?”

“I think he finally got used to seeing Wolf that Snow isn’t going to be that much of a shock to him.”

The next day, Goblin Slayer and the others who had accompanied him, met with Guild Girl to discuss the quest with the undead. Like Cow Girl she was not happy about what was told to her, but would keep quiet about the affair as the others had been asked to by Human Commander. She looked to the three young adventurers and sympathized with them, from what she had been told they all should have been able to move up a rank, but for now they would have to wait until their next adventure.

Later that day, Heavy Warrior and his party returned eager to relay their story of the large wolf stalking his home village and the odd individual who came to capture the massive beast. While Heavy Warrior spoke of his quest, and Female Knight spoke of her injury, Guild Girl got to work writing a letter to respond to Sword maiden’s concerns, once finished, she had one of the adventurers deliver the correspondence to Water Town.

The weeks were short and uneventful for most as they finally reached the New Year’s celebration. Goblin Slayer was ready to keep watch outside the town as he had last year, but this time he was instructed to spend this evening with his friends. The moment he tried to protest, High Elf Archer reminded him of all the worry he put everyone through, not just on the battlefield but those back home and in Water Town, and how he needed to make it up to them all; he was silent at first, then reluctantly agreed to join the festivities in the guild hall. What surprised everyone the most was not Goblin Slayer joining them, but the appearance of the Sword Maiden at their New Year Celebration. Joined by her attendants, Sword Maiden made sure to say her hellos to everyone, like the others was surprised by the appearance of Half-Demon Thief and Snow, but happily accepted them as part of Goblin Slayer’s party.

The guild hall was alive with noise, not since the defeat of the goblin lord’s army, had there been so many adventurers laughing and celebrating. For High Elf Archer and the others, they truly enjoyed the festivities as they had to miss out on the Fall Festival this year due to their time dealing with the Beast Master. Cow Girl’s uncle opted to converse and drink with the dwarven blacksmith and guild manager while his niece happily enjoyed herself with the others, as of last year, her new friends, she even managed to convince Goblin Slayer to remove his helmet. Half-Demon Thief gasped at the sight of the helmetless Goblin Slayer, a blush present on her face, to which Witch happily teased her.

Guild Girl, slightly drunk, spoke to the women of a plant that people would hang over doorways and those underneath it would have to kiss one another. Everyone, especially Sword Maiden, were surprised by this and quickly looked around to see if this magical plant was around and more importantly how to get Goblin Slayer under it. Everyone laughed and celebrated their successes as the night carried on, but soon enough the alcohol began to take its toll as little by little the guild patriots started to fall asleep. That night, as the fire place crackled, all slept in chairs and sofas or with their heads upon the tables.

Goblin Slayer was the last one awake, a small smile on his face as he did enjoy himself that evening and was happy to see his friends sleeping soundly. Lizard Priest slept on one of the tables near the fire place while Dwarf Shaman slept on the floor cradling his jug of fire wine. Spearman slept in one of the large couches with Witch happily sleeping beside him, nearby Heavy Warrior and Female Knight were mirroring the same image by one of the tables. Near one of the windows was Rookie Warrior and leaning by him was Apprentice Cleric, a smile on her face as she gripped his hand in hers. 

The women all slept by one of the large tables, smiles on their faces, though he could not guess what was making them smile so. The last ones he saw were the two dire wolves curled up beside one another near the fire place. Goblin Slayer walked toward the windows and looked out to see the light snow fall that evening, all was peaceful that night.

“ _Beloved._ ”

Goblin Slayer turned around, looking to see who was calling him but the rest were asleep, he turned his gaze back toward the windows, dismissing the voice as him being tired.

“ _Did you enjoy yourself beloved?_ ”

Goblin Slayer got hold of his sword handle as he looked around the guild hall, he had not imagined the voice, but before he woke the others, he would check to see where the enemy was hiding, for some reason this female’s voice was familiar to him.

“Where are you?”

“ _Come now beloved, don’t you remember, I was slain in my castle._ ”

Goblin Slayer’s eyes narrowed as he recalled this voice belonging to the Lich Queen.

“How?”

“ _Didn’t I say that you would never be rid of me? I did more than stab you my love, I formed a blood contract with you and bound myself to you._ ”

Goblin Slayer grunted as released his grip on his sword and placed his right hand upon his left shoulder, the spot where she had stabbed him.

“ _I am a part of you…and soon you shall be like me. My blood courses in you, little by little you will lose yourself and become a wraith. You can try to fight my influence, but I must warn you that it will be very painful. Give in to the darkness and be mine. I shall be with you now and always…I love you beloved._ ”

Goblin Slayer clenched his fists tightly, the Lich’s final attack was slowly killing him and he did not know how stop it.

“Are you okay?”

Goblin Slayer turned to see Cow Girl walking toward him, she stretched before joining him by the windows. He could see the concerned look on her face, then thought back to what her uncle said, how he needed to stop making her worry so much.

“Fine…just couldn’t sleep.”

“Is it the goblins again?”

“Yes.”

“I know you are always concerned about it, but you need to remember that you aren’t alone anymore. You have your friends and you have me, so please try to be more open with what’s bothering you.”

Goblin Slayer looked toward his friend, perhaps he should follow her advice and tell her the truth, but that would only worry her and make her cry.

“ _You mustn’t make those smaller than you cry._ ”

“ _You need to stop making my niece worry so much._ ”

“I will try. Thank you.” He decided against it, he would even keep this from his party members. “ _I will solve this on my own._ ”

**Author’s Note: That should do it for Lich Queen Arc, although we can see that things are far from concluded. The start of the New Year will bring with it new challenges for our adventurers as well now two adventurers who will have to deal with their curses.**

**Just in time for Christmas, a little story to bring everyone together and hint at what is in store for the future of this story. I managed to get the previous chapters updated already which means I can push ahead with the new material. I did add a little bit of extra dialogue in the previous chapters here and there, but they should be better spelling-wise (though I’m still finding a couple I missed).**

**For a couple of my readers who probably figured it out, Female Knight will indeed have to deal with her own curse, but her story will not be the next direct Arc. Assuming the story can keep going, here are the next Arcs I’m thinking (names pending): Priestess/Half-Demon Thief Arc, Dragon Daughter Arc, Werewolf Arc, and Wraith Arc. I’m also thinking of throwing in some cameos as the story progresses, not directly involving themselves with our main characters but just a couple characters here and there (see if you can figure out who is who, especially since I won’t be directly using their names.)**

**Thanks again for all the support, I’m going to do my best to keep to a once a week update, but at the same time avoid burning out both myself and you guys. A Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from GreyH to everyone, be safe and hope you all get what you wanted this holiday season.**


	31. Chapter 31

The first week into the new year had been pleasant, no new quests had been issued yet, this meant Guild Girl had the opportunity to happily converse with the others. She even opted to bring out the board game and play with her friends, the quest was to defeat a corrupted sorcerer and return peace to the world. Half-Demon Thief was curious and impressed with this creation of the humans and, just like High Elf Archer, was annoyed as their party was defeated during their first play through of the quest. The next week was not as quiet though, as various quests were submitted from bandits to trolls to goblins.

“ _They finally come back out, which means he should be here very soon._ ” A smile crossed her face as she thought about Goblin Slayer and her foolishness to find this “mistletoe” plant.

The bell above the door jingled as to her delight in walked an adventurer in dirty leather armor.

“Good morning Goblin Slayer.” Guild Girl smiled brightly as she saw him enter the guild hall.

In her mind they had so much fun at the new year celebration, she had wished it could have lasted longer, and privately wished it had just been her and him for the entire evening.

“Are there…goblins?” Goblin Slayer grunted as he was forced to grasp his left shoulder.

“Are you okay?” Guild Girl was immediately concerned the moment she saw him go for his shoulder.

“Yes. Just…sore from the last quest. Are there goblins?”

“Uh…yes. Farmers started coming to us about goblins finally coming out and taking the livestock.” Guild Girl looked over the quest forms and found three of them, but looking at them noticed that they were so far spread out across the countryside. “I have three quests available, but they’re all pretty far away. This one here…”

“I’ll take all three.”

Guild Girl looked up at him at him with a surprised look on her face, she was not sure she heard him correctly.

“I’m sorry…did you say all of them?”

“Yes. I’ll take all of them.”

“Bu…but Goblin Slayer they’re so far apart, wouldn’t it make sense to…”

“All three.”

Guild Girl looked back at Goblin Slayer, for the first time in a long time doubting if he would be able to take on the task, but remembered that he was no longer alone on these quests.

“Very well Goblin Slayer. Please be careful.”

Goblin Slayer nodded his head as he took the slips of paper and looked over the details of the quest. He started to head for the door when familiar voices called out to him, making him and Guild Girl turn their heads.

“Goblin Slayer!” Priestess smiled as she and the rest of the party happily moved to join Goblin Slayer by the door. “Good morning sir.”

“Yes good morning Goblin Slayer. I hope you’re doing well?” Half-Demon Thief smiled though a slight blush was present on her face.

“Come on now, there’s no need to be so polite with this big lug. How are you Beardcutter?”

“Fine.”

“So what are you up to Orcbolg? Wait, let me guess…goblins right?” High Elf Archer smiled as she already knew the answer to this question and was just teasing him.

“Yes.”

“Alright so when do we leave Milord Goblin Slayer? Do we have time to get some cheese before we depart?” Lizard Priest too was in high spirits as he thought about the goblin quests being easier to deal with than more undead.

“No…I’ll go alone.”

Not since thinking he had died did everyone, Guild Girl included, look as shocked and mortified as they did hearing say those few words.

“What the hell do you mean you’ll go alone?” High Elf Archer was furious to hear him say this as she clenched her fists.

“Milord Goblin Slayer, can you explain why we will not be accompanying you?” Lizard Priest had come to know Goblin Slayer as a man who had logic to every one of his methods.

“This…is something I shall do alone.”

“This isn’t like you Beardcutter. What about the young ones here?” Dwarf Shaman motioned toward the two younger party members.

Goblin Slayer looked toward the two young girls, both were shocked by what they heard, Priestess looked as if she might start crying.

“No.” Goblin Slayer turned back toward the doorway and started to make his way out.

“Wait Goblin Slayer! What about Wolf and Snow?” Guild Girl called out before he left the guild, she too was confused by this sudden change in him.

“They will stay on the farm and keep the others safe.” Goblin Slayer stopped at the doorway and looked back toward his party. “I’m sorry…I will return.”

Goblin Slayer exited out the guild hall, leaving his confused and angry friends behind to debate why he was acting the way he was. Guild Girl had explained that not since his earlier days had he taken so many goblin quests alone. Ever since his party joined him he would “discuss” what his plans were, or at least give them the option of accompanying him or not. For three weeks, Goblin Slayer was nowhere to be found, Cow Girl had come to the guild to make her deliveries and inquire about her friend, to everyone’s surprise he even neglected to tell her where he was going.

“This is not like him, I’m really worried.” Cow Girl lamented her worries to Guild Girl and the others. “Ever since the start of the new year, he’s been acting very distant.”

“Did something happen during the celebration.” Half-Demon Thief, not completely sure of Goblin Slayer’s usual mannerisms, wanted to know more.

“He only told me he was concerned about the goblins.” Cow Girl relayed the information to the others, but sadly no one could figure what was bothering him.

During these three weeks, the remainder of his party had gone on their own quest to deal with a Yuan-Ti that had been seen in a neighboring village, tricking the humans to fight and kill each other in certain cases. Lizard Priest was saddened to know that a fellow reptilian humanoid could be responsible for such atrocities, but would ensure this form of heresy would be dealt with. This quest would give Half-Demon Thief an opportunity to really get a feel for the countryside and give her friends a better opportunity to see her skills in action.

During this time, Guild Girl and Spearman had noticed the Heavy Warrior and his party were also missing quite often. Heavy Warrior and the younger members of his party would come in from time to time to seek out quests, but when pressed for information about Female Knight or what they had been up to, they were quick to change the topic. At the start of the fourth week, Goblin Slayer finally returned, much to the surprise of Guild Girl and the rest of the guild patriots.

“Goblin Slayer! You’ve returned!”

Goblin Slayer nodded toward her then immediately walked toward the quest board to look over the quests. Guild Girl frowned at this, but dismissed it as Goblin Slayer only focusing on his goblin quests, she was sure that his comrades had heard her and would be down momentarily. Goblin Slayer tore off two papers from the quest board and approached the front desk.

“ _He’s finally back. I’d like to have our normal chats, but given his past behavior, perhaps a bit of teasing is in order._ ” Guild Girl smiled as she closed her eyes and mentally prepared herself for the “reprimanding” she would give him. “Welcome back Goblin Slayer.”

“The three goblin nests have been dealt with.”

“I’m glad to see you back with us, however…I do not feel your behavior with your party members during your last visit was quite necessary. After all as a silver ranked…”

“I’ll take these two quests.”

Guild Girl was completely caught off guard by his comment, it was not like him to cut her off like that, her friend Inspector was also surprised by this.

“These two quests…goblins. I’ll take them.”

“But…you haven’t even given me the details of your last quests.”

“The goblins have been slain. I’ll take these two quests.”

Guild Girl looked at this man, he was wearing the same armor as Goblin Slayer, but for some reason found herself looking at him as if he were a complete stranger.

“Very well Goblin Slayer.” Guild Girl nodded her head towards him but had a saddened look about her face as she went about recording the information.

Goblin Slayer nodded his head before turning to take his leave, but Spearman who had been watching this had enough, it was one thing for Goblin Slayer to take away the affection of the girl he loved, but it was another thing for him to act so cold toward her. His partner watched from the side, her normal smile replaced with a look of concern as she watched Goblin Slayer.

“Hold it right there Goblin Slayer!”

Goblin Slayer stopped before he had a chance to exit and turned toward the angry Spearman.

“Just what the hell do you think you’re…” Spearman stretched out his hand to get hold of Goblin Slayer’s right shoulder, but never managed this.

Goblin Slayer suddenly got hold of Spearman’s wrist with his right hand and firmly held it much to Spearman’s surprise.

“Did you need something?” Goblin Slayer’s tone was still dispassionate, but there was a hint of annoyance in it.

Everyone in the guild saw this with wide eyes, primarily his party members from the second floor who had heard Guild Girl’s triumphant call earlier, but were unsure how to approach Goblin Slayer.

“ _This one is in your way beloved. Perhaps…he needs to be removed?_ ”

Goblin Slayer released his grip from Spearman’s wrist and took a step back sighing as he clenched his fist then slowly released it; Spearman also took a step back and looked down at his right hand, surprised as Goblin Slayer’s actions.

“I’m…sorry.” Goblin Slayer replied as he first looked toward Spearman then looked back toward Witch and Guild Girl. “All of you…I’m sorry.”

Guild Girl and Witch looked back toward Goblin Slayer with unsure eyes, wondering why he would act this way.

“There is…something weighing on me. The goblins…are a way…of taking my mind off it.”

Goblin Slayer turned back toward the doorway ready to make his way outside when a familiar voice called out to him.

“Hold it right there Orcbolg!”

Goblin Slayer sighed in annoyance as he turned towards his side to see High Elf Archer, Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest approach him.

“You’ve finally come back and you’re not even going to say hello to your friends?” High Elf Archer was slightly angry with his current demeanor but was happy to have him back.

“I’m just leaving.”

“We heard you’re going after more goblins, only you’re not going to go alone this time Beardcutter.”

“I…”

“Milord Goblin Slayer, as your comrades in arms we are concerned for you, and I gather it is not just us who are worried.” Lizard Priest smiled as he looked out toward Guild Girl who smiled weakly. “If something is indeed troubling you, is it not best to discuss it with those who are your friends?”

Goblin Slayer looked over his party members and then back toward Guild Girl and Spearman and quietly grunted as the uncomfortable pain in his shoulder flared up once again.

“ _Beloved, you are suffering. If these mortals are bothering you…hurting you…then kill them._ ”

“I’m looking to go after two goblin quests, come or don’t, it’s your decision.”

“Now that sounds more like the Beardcutter we know.”

“And tolerate.” High Elf Archer smiled as she felt the mood lighting in the guild hall.

“Then accompany you we shall Milord Goblin Slayer.”

“Before we go though, we are going to stop by the farm to see your friend. Knowing Beardcutter, you haven’t been back there and she is worried too.”

Goblin Slayer took one look back toward Guild Girl and could see the look of concern on her face, the same that was probably on his friend’s face as well.

“What about Priestess and Thief? Shouldn’t we wait for them?” High Elf Archer knew both young girls were out on an errand to the Earth Mother Temple.

Dwarf Shaman pulled High Elf Archer off to the side to converse in private away from Goblin Slayer.

“Normally I would say yes, but given Beardcutter’s behavior I think it best if we accompany him this time. We’ll sort out the details and report back to her in a few days once these goblins are dealt with.”

“Agreed.” High Elf Archer sighed as before making her way toward Guild Girl. “Don’t you worry, we’ll figure out what’s bothering Orcbolg.”

“Thank you. Please be careful on your journey, all of you.” Guild Girl’s smile brightened as she looked toward High Elf Archer and then back to Goblin Slayer.

Goblin and his party soon exited the guild and made their way toward his farm before journeying out to deal with the closest nest of goblins. Cow Girl, like the others was relieved and angry to see her friend, but being the accepting person she was wished him well and insisted that Wolf go with him.

“While he’s enjoying his time with Snow, I know he misses you too.”

Later that day, sometime after lunch, both Priestess and Half-Demon Thief finally returned from their errand and to their dismay found that Goblin Slayer had returned and departed with the others.

“He’s gone again?” Priestess sighed as she closed her eyes and hung her head.

“What the hell? He finally gets back and then takes off again?” Half-Demon Thief pounded the bottom of her fist on the table. “And now the others have gone with him? They couldn’t even wait for us?”

“They left a little more than four hours ago. You both were out on that earlier errand and you know how Goblin Slayer can be.” Guild Girl smiled as she happily conversed with the two young girls.

“I’m sorry that I had you go with me on that errand.” Priestess bowed her head toward Half-Demon Thief.

“It’s not your fault, no need to apologize. Things just turned out this way, can’t be helped.”

“They should be back in few short days, since he’s no longer going at it alone this time.” Guild Girl smiled then a thought popped into her head. “You know, while the rest are on a goblin slaying quest, perhaps you two should go on your own quest.”

“On our own?” Priestess was unsure of just the two of them going on a quest by themselves.

“It’s a possibility, however the quest that comes to mind will need a couple other able-bodied individuals, and I’m sure you can think of two individuals that would be willing to accompany you.”

Priestess and Half-Demon Thief thought about it, this quest might be what they needed to move up in the ranks, and with that thought in mind, looked around to find Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric and see if they would be willing to accompany them.

xxxx

That evening, Goblin Slayer and his party rested around the camp fire while he took the first watch. Goblin Slayer, sitting upon a large log, looked over his comrades and watched how they slept peacefully, and a light smile formed behind his helmet as he was reminded of their last celebration.

“ _How are you feeling beloved?_ ”

Goblin Slayer looked toward his right to find the rather voluptuous figure sitting beside him, the same female figure the Lich Queen had used to try and tempt him, a smile crossed her face as she slid across the log to place herself closer to him.

“ _Not to worry, none one will hear me, but I’d recommend you keep your voice down…that elf has very good ears._ ”

“Do you need something?” He turned his gaze back to the fire.

“ _Come now beloved, no need to be so cold to me, though the cold never bothered me anyway. I am merely concerned for you._ ”

“I thought you were waiting for me to turn into a wraith?”

“ _That is my end goal, but…I don’t enjoy watching you suffer._ ”

Goblin Slayer turned toward the Lich Queen, slightly surprised by her comment. The Lich Queen gasped as he looked toward her and uncharacteristically turned her head away as she pondered what she would say next.

“I thought you wanted me to suffer?”

“ _At first…but this last month…I’ve grown more fond of you. I don’t want to see you suffer any more._ ” Lich Queen smiled as she caressed the top of his hand. ” _Just submit to me, your pain will be over, as a wraith you will be immortal…and you and I can be together forever in body and soul._ ”

Goblin Slayer removed his hand from beneath hers, which caused Lich Queen to frown as she looked toward Goblin Slayer.

“I won’t become your servant. You won’t force me to hurt those around me.”

Lich Queen sighed as she stood and walked away toward the right and within a couple steps vanished from sight.

“ _You are fighting a losing battle beloved…but do as you wish._ ”

“I intend to.”

Goblin Slayer soon heard the whine of Wolf and turned to see the massive dire wolf walking toward him finally coming to a stop as it sat beside him. Goblin Slayer grunted as he reached out to pet the massive dire wolf atop its head.

“You shouldn’t worry. I’ll find a way to purge this from my body.”

xxxx

Priestess and Half-Demon Thief found themselves worried as they traveled with Apprentice Cleric and Rookie Warrior. It wasn’t the present company that concerned them, they had come to trust these two over the quest to deal with the Lich Queen in the North, what concerned them was rest of their party, particularly the fact that Goblin Slayer had been acting rather unusual.

“I’m surprised you came to ask us about joining you on this quest.” Apprentice Cleric commented as she and the others continued to travel to their location.

“After what happened on the last quest, we need a quest that will give us the credit we deserve.” Half-Demon Thief smiled as she nodded toward Apprentice Cleric.

“Plus we trust in you.” Priestess added with a big smile.

“Thank you for that and I got to say this sure beats hunting rats in the sewer.” Rookie Warrior smiled as the thought of working with others made him feel like a true adventurer.

“Speaking of quests, what are the details of this one?” Half-Demon Thief turned toward Priestess to gather more data on what was expected of them.

“It would seem that a small village was attacked by bandits with ten girls abducted in the process.” Priestess replied as the details sounded very similar to what the goblins would do.

“So I take it our job is to recover the lost girls?” Rookie Warrior figured that was the case but wanted to clarify.

“That and deal with the bandits.”

The four young adventurers knew what was being asked of them and mentally prepared themselves as they drew closer to the approaching village. As they entered the village they found some of the villagers still tending to damage from the raid, off to the side they could see the burial mounds of the recently deceased. The villagers, not busy with repairs, rushed toward the adventurers and bombarded them with a plethora of questions.

“Are you the adventurers we hired?”

“Do know what happened to our kidnapped girls?”

“What the hell do you plan to do to stop these bandits?”

“Please calm yourselves.” Priestess raised her hands to try and calm the people down and get their attention. “Yes we are the adventurers. If you could provide us with as much information as possible we’ll get underway in recovering your lost people.”

Before one of the adults could begin talking a young girl pushed past everyone to approach the adventurers. The young girl was maybe ten years old with long brown hair coming to her back, there was slight blood stains on her pink dress, possibly related to the bandages wrapped around her right eye. Her parents, also showing signs of being injured in the attack, tried to get her back but she was already hugging Half-Demon Thief tightly around the waist.

“Hey now…you alright?” Half-Demon Thief slightly surprised by this as she was not used to dealing with kids.

“Please, you have to get my sister back!” The young girl cried as she tightened her grip around Thief’s waist.

“Sister…so your sister was one of the girls taken?” Priestess knelt down so that she would be on the same level as the young girl.

“Yes…my big sister.”

“Don’t you worry, we’ll do everything we can.” Priestess smiled as she nodded to the young girl in an attempt to calm her. “Can you release my friend, she needs to breathe too.”

The young girl removed her arms and dried her eyes all the while sniffling.

“Now…what can you tell me? Anything at all.”

“The men came in, attacked everyone. They took my sister and the others, saying their master needed pure maidens.”

“Pure maidens? Why?” Rookie Warrior curious as to the reason for only taking the women and none of the money or livestock.

“I tried to help my sister and they cut me with a blade.” The young girl placed a hand on her injured face. “Before, I was knocked out…I…I remember them saying something about time…they said they could change the past with them.”

**Author’s Note: So now we see that the groups have been split in two, each going on their own quests and just how far the Lich’s influence is spreading. Before the New Year starts, this chapter introduces us to the next story arc which will focus primarily on Priestess and Half-Demon Thief, which we can title the Time Paradox Arc. I won’t give away any details, you’ll just have to wait until the next chapter, but you’re free to speculate what will happen and the possible fallout it implies. Trust me that I will do my best with this part of the story, time travel is easy to introduce, but even easier to mess up. Happy New Year everyone, I’ll see you in 2020!**


	32. Chapter 32

The gods moved about the space, from major to minor, all were discussing what could possibly destroy everything they had accomplished since their battle long ago. Out of all the gods who debated this, only five were silent, four of whom were huddled around the game, contemplating what could happen if this was allowed, while the last one sat off to the side a smirk on his face as he rubbed the dice in his hands.

“ _This is ridiculous! Are we seriously considering a reroll of the dice?_ ”

“ _Events had already been decided, we can’t undo everything…can we?_ ”

“ _We…we should not get directly involved in the lives of the mortals._ ”

“ _What are you talking about, that all we ever do! This…this would be the ultimate meddling._ ”

Illusion, Truth, Abundance and Earth Mother silently sat around the game watching the current events unfold. For Earth Mother, she was greatly concerned for the wellbeing of her little one as well as the man who watched over her, he had his own curse to deal with. Illusion too was concerned as she watched her adventurers she’d come to admire now separated into two groups, their worries were more focused on these people than what the other gods were discussing.

Truth and Abundance were also concerned, but not for these mortals, instead about what this would do to the game. Truth, who delighted in seeing those fail, wondered how this would affect all he had done and what unfair advantages it would give the mortals. Abundance too was concerned as to how this would affect the monsters he created, would this change in the game favor or impede the monsters them. As a god of chaos, he was not opposed to “changing things up”, but for him that was directed toward the mortals, and was delighted to see them overcome his challenging creations. Suddenly everyone turned toward the side to see last individual chuckling as he held the dice in hand, smirking as he looked towards them.

“ _The die have been rolled, as gods we are not allowed undo **this** roll, and if events are meant to unfold the way I desire then so be it. This board has been in balance for too long…a little… **chaos** is in order._”

xxxx

“What do mean change the past?” Rookie Warrior was confused by the girl’s last statement.

“That’s all I remember, they took my sister and said something about changing the past.” Younger Sister started to cry once again as she thought about what was happening to her sibling. “Please…save my sister!”

The four young adventurers looked toward this little girl and then back to the villagers, seeing the expression of fear and uncertainty, and knew what they needed to do.

“Don’t you worry, we’ll do everything in our power to get them back.” Priestess smiled as she nodded her head, knowing that unlike Goblin Slayer, the best thing now was to instill a sense of trust with the villagers.

“Just leave it to the adventurers.” Rookie Warrior, taking a cue from Spearman, wanted to reassure them. “ _Just like a real adventurer!_ ”

The villagers cheered and offered their gratitude as Priestess and her party exited the village heading off in a northern direction.

“I’m glad you were the one who spoke to them…I’m not really good at offering words of encouragement.” Half-Demon Thief sighed as she shook her head.

“I’m sure you’ll get better the more you interact with people.” Priestess smiled brightly wondering what the others would have thought of her.

“That or you’ll end up like Goblin Slayer…down to one or two word responses.” Apprentice Cleric teased with a light chuckle then turned toward her partner. “Speaking of responses, I was really impressed with you back there.”

“Well…I’ve got to do better if I’m to catch up to the others.” Rookie Warrior smiled then focused on the road ahead of them.

“What are you looking at?” Apprentice Cleric confused by what he doing.

“Heavy Warrior mentioned to me that if you study the ground you can determine which direction your prey had gone.” Rookie Warrior looked carefully as the footprints, there he could see several deep indentures from someone or something running away from the village. “Looks like they’re heading off the path here…towards the woods.”

“You saw that too…I see at ten sets of feet. These aren’t trained warriors, they’re too spread out.” Half-Demon Thief walked off the path onto the grass towards the forest.

“Wow! I couldn’t even make out any of that, just which direction they were heading.”

“That’s still impressive. Even after my time with Goblin Slayer, I would not have been able to pick up on all of that.”

“Neither did I. I’m…I’m really impressed.” Apprentice Cleric turned her head away as she could feel the heat from her blush.

“Th…thanks.” Now it was Rookie Warrior who had a slight blush on his face.

“We best hurry then, no telling what these bandits want with the girls.” Half-Demon Thief started to rush ahead as she continued to follow the footprints.

Priestess and the others followed behind her determined to save as many of the captives as possible.

xxxx

“What’s the hold up? Hurry up and cast your damn spell already! We’ve been here three days now, so stop wasting our time!”

The angry shout came from a heavy set, unshaven man who, along with nine similar men, stood watch over a group of women. Away from the group within a clearing stood a human wearing a dark purple robe over his body, his black hair was down to his shoulders and as he turned; this man, appearing to be in his forties, was clean shaven, his dark brown eyes looked at these men with contempt. 

“A spell caster does not rush his work. You’ve already been paid for your services, now stand there and keep quiet lest I turn you to ash.”

The human bandit growled in frustration before spitting off to the side and turning his attention back to the scared young women. The spell caster, Dark Wizard, looked back to his tome within his hand and studied the designs before looking to the clearing. There lay a large stone slab with biding manacles atop it, around the manacles were small opening that would drain down into the stonework below, around this slab was a series of circular impressions in the stone floor.

“ _This site was used for sacrifices to the demon lord in ancient times…only fitting that they now be used to right the wrongs of the world._ ”

Dark Wizard was one who had dreamed of becoming an adventurer, attending the grand wizarding schools, so talented was he that everyone assumed it would be he that destroyed the demon lord. This, however was not mean to be, as ten years ago, that dream was taken by a rag-tag group of adventurers, and each of them now given positions of authority…authority he felt he was due. He resigned himself to becoming a teacher, watching as failure after failure came to his school, making a mockery of his teachings.

“ _And now…some little girl, the Hero, springs out of nowhere and saves the day. What about those of us who have to work…to struggle to show how far we’ve come, that aren’t afforded the luxury of being favored by the gods? I shall rectify all those mistakes. If I can’t be the hero…then no one will!_ ”

“We are ready to begin!” Dark Wizard closed his tome and turned toward the bandits. “These women…they are unsullied yes?”

“What does it matter?” The bandit leader asked with a sneer.

“In order for the spell to make you all stronger, to change the mistakes of the past as it were, I need the blood of an unspoiled maiden. If you or any of your men have defiled them in any way, all we’ll end up doing is spilling blood wastefully. Now…I ask again, these women here are unsullied yes?”

The bandit leader was silent for a moment as he looked over his men and the women, though they weren’t goblins themselves, these captive women were all rather pretty and dark thoughts had crossed their minds over the last couple days, but if their strength could be increased to where they were far stronger than even a dragon, then holding off would be well worth it.

“They are.”

“Then bring me the first girl.”

Dark Wizard smiled, in truth all he needed was one pure woman, the rest would serve as his personal salves when he returned. His plan was simple, he would travel to the Hero’s village, kill her and take her place drawing forth the holy sword, and becoming the true hero he was meant to be.

“ _My only concern is running into my past self…according to the tomes, if we meet, my past self should absorb my knowledge as we become one…it would be a shame to have to kill myself if that weren’t the case._ ”

“Bind her to the table! Keep an eye on the rest!” Dark Wizard looked up at the sky and smiled even wider as the red moon was visible. “ _All is set…time to right the wrongs of history and be the Hero this world needs!_ ”

Priestess and her comrades watched from the nearby trees, as the bandits took hold of one of the women and dragged her screaming toward the stone altar.

“What do you think?” Half-Demon Thief looked back to see the other bandits surrounding the remaining captives.

“We need to get to the other capture women, secure their safety then get the last one on the altar.” Priestess could see them binding her to the alter, not sure what they intended to do, but knew it was not good. “I’ll cast Holy Light from here, then you and warrior can attack the bandits, that will allow me and cleric to get to the captives…then we can focus our attention on the wizard.”

All three looked toward Priestess with wide eyes, making her look at them with a look of concern about her face.

“Did…is that bad?”

“Bad, that’s brilliant!” Half-Demon Thief smiled brightly.

“I’m just surprised at how fast you came up with that plan.” Apprentice Cleric smiled as well.

“All that time being with a silver rank adventurer really has paid off.” Rookie Warrior tightened his grip around his new sword reassured by its weight.

They suddenly heard a scream and watched as the Dark Wizard used a knife to start cutting the woman bound on the altar.

“No time to waste, let’s put your plan into motion.” Half-Demon Thief drew out both daggers and readied herself to attack the moment they were blinded.

xxxx

“ _Please…let someone save us! Gods above, I want to be able to see my sister once more!_ ”

One of the bound women, a woman with long brown hair watched with tears in her eyes as her best friend was taken away by the bandits toward the stone altar. Their peaceful lives had upturned just a few short days ago, and now it would appear they were to be sacrificed or left to the foul desires of these brutes of men. She was forced to watch as the man in robes took a blade in his hands and started to cut her friend.

“Yes…just a little bit of blood!” Dark Wizard smiled as he slit the woman’s wrists, ankles and throat and watched as the blood poured down the small openings and drained into the stone indentions.

“Holy Light!”

A burst of white light flooded the area forcing everyone to shield their eyes as they cried out in pain. Dark Wizard partially blinded by the light turned toward the men and the captives and could vaguely make out four figures charging forward. Two of which quickly went to work attacking the men he paid while the others two went for the captives. He growled as he held the knife in his hands, ready to attack or use his spells the moment he could clearly see again, but something caught his attention before that, the stone indentions where he was standing began to glow with a red light.

“ _It’s almost here! Just focus your thoughts on that Hero! Very soon I’ll…_ ”

Before he could finish that thought, something struck him knocking him out of the stone indentions. Half-Demon Thief rushed forward, tackling the wizard and watched as he rolled away from the altar, she stood ready with daggers to attack should he try anything, completely oblivious of the red glow around her. Priestess and the other two immediately went about freeing the captives while Half-Demon Thief went after the wizard.

“Thank you.” The woman with long brown hair sniffed as tears ran down her face.

“We’ll get you back to your sister.” Priestess smiled as she nodded her head toward this young woman.

“Priestess!”

Priestess turned to find Half-Demon Thief by the altar looking over the final woman still bound to the stone slab. She immediately rushed forward and like Half-Demon Thief, did not pay any attention to the red glow that now surrounded them. Priestess moved toward the bound woman and to her horror found she was already dead, the last of her blood running through the small opening in the slab.

“ _No…we couldn’t save them all! It’s like with Goblin Slayer, we want to save him, but always seem to be too late._ ”

Dark Wizard grunted as he pushed himself up and growled as he looked toward the altar, but soon that glare turned to shock. The girls finally noticed the red glow, but it was too late, the light engulfed them and the moment it subsided both were gone.

“No…my…my plan.”

“Priestess…Thief…they’re gone!” Rookie Warrior’s eyes were wide with shock when he found his comrades had disappeared.

xxxx

Priestess and Half-Demon Thief were thrown to the ground rather roughly and as they grunted to get back to their feet found their location had changed. They found themselves outside a small village, it was still nighttime and as they looked up could see the two moons overhead.

“That damn fool…it wasn’t some time spell, he opened up a gate.” Half-Demon Thief stood and looked around the area.

“A gate?”

“You know, a transfer spell. He must have thought he get to go back in time or some nonsense like that…he took that poor girls’ like for nothing then.”

“That girl…wait what about the others?”

“I’m sure they’ve already started to head back to the village, no point in them waiting around for us.” Half-Demon Thief looked toward the village but noticed this one was not damaged like the one they had seen from earlier. “This isn’t the same village is it?”

Priestess looked around and saw the village was well, like Half-demon Thief had said the village was different, and yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that the area they were in was very familiar.

“It’s a different village. Let’s go see if we can figure out where we are.”

Priestess and Half-Demon Thief casually made their way toward the village noticing the thin wooden wall around it. As they drew near the entrance they were met by a villager with a spear brandishing its as menacingly as possible.

“Who goes there?”

Priestess and Half-Demon Thief raised their hands to show they were no threat to the villager, and in the light of torches by the entrance, he could see their guild tags.

“Those…guild tags…are you adventurers?”

“Yes…were registered with the guild. Can you tell us…”

“Hey, everyone! The Adventurers are here!”

As the shout was heard, more and more people exited their houses to come and see what all the commotion was about. Half-Demon Thief and Priestess were shocked to see so many people, this village appeared to be much larger than they had expected.

“Thank goodness you’re here!”

“Are you here for the goblins?”

“Goblins?” Half-Demon Thief was surprised by their sudden question about the goblins then a thought crossed her mind. “ _This must be one of the villages Goblin Slayer was heading towards. That means if we wait around here we’ll find him and the others._ ”

“Well actually, were…”

Priestess then caught sight of a young woman with light brown hair in a braid resting upon her right shoulder and beside her was a young boy holding her hand. Priestess looked toward the boy and saw his grey, almost whitish hair and red eyes looking back at her with curiosity and amazement.

“ _He looks just like Goblin Slayer. Won’t he be surprised to hear that when we see him again._ ”

“We…we came to this village by accident.” Priestess was honest about their being here, but as she saw the looks of shock and disappointment, knew what they had to do. “But now that we are here, we won’t abandon you.”

“Don’t you worry folks, the adventurers are here!”

The villagers looked toward these two with wide eyes before cheering happily that the goblins they had seen would soon be dealt with. Outside the village near the forest the horde of goblins heard the sounds of merriment from this village and growled angrily. How dare these humans be merry when they were miserable, when they had nothing, they would make them pay.

The men of the village were all given spears and told to be ready to fight the moment the goblins were in sight. The women, children and elderly were to remain inside the houses but to arm themselves should the goblins break through. Half-Demon Thief pulled Priestess off to the side to discuss her plan with her, all the while the young boy was watching them with wide eyes.

“The moment I give you the signal, use Holy Light to blind the little monsters, then the villagers can push forward.” Half-Demon Thief nodded her head all the while smiling.

“I understand.” Priestess smiled in return then noticed the young boy from earlier. “You should really get back inside the house with your…was that your mother?”

“My older sister…my parents are both dead.” The young boy replied, still partially hiding behind one of the buildings.

“I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“Are…are you really adventurers?” The boy came out from behind the building to see these two young women more clearly.

“We sure are? Well now that I get a better look at you, you sure are a cute one.” Half-Demon Thief smiled as she saw the light blush on his face.

“Don’t tease him. But to your questions, yes we are.”

“When I grow up, I’m going to be an adventurer too.” The young boy beamed as he looked at these adventurers. “My friend is going to be so jealous.”

“Your friend?” Priestess was what the young boy was talking about.

“She went with her uncle to help on the farm and then she gets to go to the city. It isn’t fair since I haven’t been to the city…but meeting real life adventurers is so much better!”

“So why do you want to be an adventurer?” Half-Demon Thief enjoyed talking with this young lad.

“I want to see the world!” The young boy smiled then paused as a more serious expression crossed his face. “I…I also want to protect those close to me.”

“What do you mean?” Priestess was confused by his expression.

“My older sister said I should never make those smaller than me cry. It’s my job to protect those who need it. So…I want to be an adventurer to protect people.”

The boy smiled toward the young girls before running back to his house to join his sister. Priestess and Half-Demon Thief were left there stunned by his statement and his devotion to protect those close to him.

“Priestess…didn’t he look just like…”

“He sure did. Goblin Slayer will really be shocked when we tell him.”

“Goblin Slayer…shocked?”

“…you’re right…knowing him he’ll probably say “Is that so?””

“That does sound like him.” Half-Demon Thief laughed but soon stopped as her ears picked up the sounds of rustling nearby. “I’m off.”

“Be careful. I’ll alert the others.”

Half-Demon Thief suddenly vanished before Priestess eyes as her Stealth ability was used to allow her to move through the village unseen and then outside overlooking the tall grass. She could hear the rustling even louder than before and her eyes could make out the small shapes moving through the grass getting closer and closer to the village.

She herself moved through the grass unseen, her rustling caused the goblins to come to a halt as they looked around for the source. Their eyes could see nothing by the village before them, but their ears were telling them that there was something moving with them.

“ _A horde of about fifty. Sorry you had to come up against a trained assassin!_ ”

Just as the goblins readied their attack a cry ran out from the far back, one of their brothers had been killed, then another fell after him, and then another. The goblins in the far back were being slashed and gutted left and right by some unseen force. In just a few short moments, ten goblins had been killed from the horde, the remaining goblins looked around nervously wondering who would be next.

“Now!” Half-Demon Thief quickly shielded her eyes in readiness for the Holy Light!

The goblins looked around trying to find the source of the voice but soon caught sight of a beautiful young woman by the entrance to the village.

“O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, grant your sacred light to we who are lost in darkness…Holy Light!”

A flash of white light flooded the area, the goblins were instantly blinded by the light as they screeched in pain and confusion. Then came the shouts from the villagers who rushed past Priestess with spears ready and began stabbing the confused goblins. The other goblins in the back saw this and prepared to run when a female figure appear before them and quickly moved from side to side slashing at their throats. The raid was over in a few minutes, not a single goblin was left alive and not a single villager was lost that night. The villagers cheered and gratefully acknowledged the adventurers for their arrival and support in stopping the goblin advance.

“It might have been an accident that brought you here, but thanks the gods you came.”

“Look at them all, this huge number…we’d have never been able to beat them on our own.”

The older sister and her brother walked forward to formally thank the two adventurers for their rescue of their village.

“Thank you, for everything.” The sister bowed her head towards these two young women.

Priestess and Half-Demon Thief nodded their heads in return and smiled as they looked toward the young boy beside her.

“You grow up big and strong, become an adventurer and perhaps our paths will cross one day.” Half-Demon Thief smiled as she extended her hand toward the young boy.

“I…I will.” The young boy smiled as he took her hand in his and shook it.

“Take care to listen to your sister and be nice to your friend.”

The boy and his sister smiled and waved as the two girls walked away from the village, even though it was late they were surprised to find that they weren’t too far away from Frontier Town. As they made their way down the path they noticed a red glow surround them as before with the altar. At first they were unsure of what was going on then realized that this must have been the effect of the gate spell from earlier, this meant they might be able to meet back up with Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric. In an instant they vanished as before once the red light engulfed them, no one in the village had seen this event as they were too busy celebrating their victory over the goblins.

xxxx

The gods were stunned by what they had seen, the board began to shake and familiar pieces were moved aside as new one arose or replaced the old. Earth Mother looked at this with wide eyes as new events were being recorded while the older records were shelved…to their surprise this one event had indirectly changed the scope of the game.

“ _Little one…what have you done?_ ”

Off in the corner, one of the gods of chaos chuckled to himself as he stood and walked toward the board with dice in hand. The other gods looked toward him with wide, fearful eyes as they knew he was in the right to roll the dice.

“ _Now then…let’s see what comes from this roll…_ ” All the while he smiled sinisterly as he threw the dice across the board.


	33. Chapter 33

Priestess and Half-Demon Thief found themselves back at the sacrificial altar as before but found the bodies of the bandits and the sacrificed woman no longer there; Rookie Warrior, Apprentice Cleric, the captives and the human wizard were also missing.

“We’re back…but where are the others?” Priestess was confused by the absence of Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric.

“They must have returned to the village with the captives. Think about how much time we lost in the other village; it would make sense for them to have gone back.” Half-Demon Thief rationalized their disappearance.

“That does make sense. Which would also explain why the woman’s body from the altar is missing as well. What about the wizard?”

“They must have taken him back as a prisoner to face what he had done. What’s strange to me is where are the bodies of the bandits? I can’t imagine those two taking them back, and no animals would have dragged them away in such a short amount of time.”

“Let’s get back to the village ourselves and we can figure out what happened?”

Just as they were about to leave Half-Demon Thief paused as she looked at the altar and then the odd stone indentions along the floor. With her gloved hand she wiped her hand along the altar, examined it then repeated the same motion for the indentions.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s strange…there’s no blood here.” Half-Demon Thief commented as she looked at her gloved hand. “Even if the blood had dried there should still be some left here, but it’s almost as if it never existed.”

“Perhaps an effect of the gate spell? We can figure out everything with the others back in the village.”

“Agreed.”

Both young women started off toward the village, although confused by the gate spell and appearing in that village, delighted that all had gone smoothly on their adventures. Just as the sun started to rise, they reached the village, but too found things to be rather different there as well. The damage they had seen the day before was completely gone, it almost appeared as if it had never occurred. The lone guard stood ready with spear drawn as the girls approached.

“What business do you have here?” The guard was very suspicious of these two women even though he could see their guild tags.

“What do you mean what business? We came to report back about the captives?” Half-Demon Thief frowned that this human would brandish a spear at them.

“We also wanted to check to see that our comrades had returned safely.”

The man with the spear looked at them as if they were crazy, soon enough the commotion he caused drew the attention of the other villagers who crowed near the entrance to see what was going on.

“What are you talking about? There’s no one missing from the village!”

“Perhaps you were mistaken with the villages assigned at the guild.”

“There’s no one else here at this village besides us.”

Both young women were at a loss for what they were hearing. How could they have forgotten about the quest they assigned to them? Where did their comrades go?

“What do you mean “what do you mean”? The quest given to us was to rescue the women who were abducted from this village. We left from here less than a day ago!” Half-Demon Thief was growing impatient with the villager’s attitudes and their strange act of forgetting everything.

Priestess too was deeply confused by all of this; she could see some of the women they had rescued among the crowds including the two sisters. It was then that she finally noticed something about the younger sister who tightly gripped her older sister’s hand…her bandages were no longer present.

“ _It’s…it’s like she was never injured. Wait…how can that…no._ ”

“I tell you this is the village were sent to just…”

“I’m so sorry for this disturbance.” Priestess bowed her head toward the villagers. “It would seem that we were mistaken. We’ll go and search for our comrades elsewhere.”

“Wait what are you…”

“I’ll explain when we’re away from the village. For now, let’s head back to town.”

Priestess and Half-Demon Thief departed from the village; the confused villagers eventually went about their business. Once far enough away from the village, both girls began to freely discuss what had just happened.

“Why did we leave? We don’t even know what happened to the other two?”

“Did you notice it? That little girl from yesterday…her wounds were healed. More than healed, it was like they were never there.”

“What do mean?”

“Think back to what that wizard was trying to do…trying to change the past. What…what if that wasn’t a gate spell after all?”

“You’re suggesting we went back in time? Then what about that village we saved? How did that change things here?”

“I…I don’t know. For now, let’s get back to town and we can figure out what’s happened when we discuss this with Goblin Slayer.”

It was a long quiet walk for the girls, each unsure of what was going on, did they come back in time? If so, how far? Would they meet themselves? All these questions were going through the minds, and neither one had any answer that made sense. It was late in the afternoon when they finally reached Frontier Town, and as they entered the guild were delighted to see Guild Girl smiling at the front desk.

“Good afternoon. How are you doing?” Her smile was bright as ever.

“Thank goodness. Where are the others? Did Rookie Warrior and Cleric come back safely?”

“I’m sorry. Who are you looking for?”

“Rookie Warrior and his partner the young Cleric. They went out with us during our quest. Did they make it back here safely?” Half-Demon Thief was slightly concerned by Guild Girl’s demeanor.

“I don’t think we have anyone here by that name. Are you all from a different guild? Perhaps they went back there.”

“What…what are you talking about? You act as if you don’t recognize us?” Priestess gripped her sounding staff tightly as she struggled to remain calm. “Where…where’s Goblin Slayer?”

“Goblin Slayer…are you friends of her’s? She went out a few days ago, but I’m never sure of when she’ll return.”

“She?” Half-Demon Thief was completely taken aback by the sound of this, she looked over toward Priestess and noticed that she was practically pale. “Are you alright?”

“I…I don’t know…everything is different?”

“You mentioned a rookie warrior and his partner was a cleric, right?” A new gruff voice could be heard from the side, yet it was a familiar one.

Both girls turned to find Spearman drinking at a nearby table, at the table Heavy Warrior and Female Knight were with him as well.

“Yes. They’re comrades of ours…we were childhood friends but went to register at different guilds.” Half Demon Thief smiled and nodded.

“What are you…”

“Priestess, we’re getting our locations mixed up. Remember this isn’t our normal guild hall.” Half-Demon Thief responded with a wink. “We’ll sort things out now that we finally found our friends.”

“Funny…I didn’t know they allowed demons in the guild.” Spearman spat as he downed his ale.

The moment he mentioned the word demon, everyone tensed up and all eyes fell on Half-Demon Thief. Her eyes narrowed as she looked around at the others, most of them gripping their weapons tightly as they glared at her.

“Half-Demon…my mother was human, just as yours was I assume.” Half-Demon Thief responded rather coldly. “I owe no allegiance to any demon lord. I only look out for myself and my friends.”

The atmosphere in the guild was tense, but eventually most of the patrons returned their attention back to their own conversations.

“I’m afraid to tell you, you won’t find your friends here then.” Heavy Warrior being the more diplomatic one at his table replied.

“Why’s that?” Priestess was confused by this statement.

“They died almost two years ago.” Spearman was cold in his response as he ordered another drink at his table.

Both girls were shocked by this, first hearing that Goblin Slayer was a female and now that their friends had been killed.

“Dead…how?” Priestess found her hands shaking.

“A goblin raid.” Heavy Warrior replied with a sigh.

“A goblin lord brought a force of about 100 goblins to attack the village. It took a while to get organized, and a few of the rookies were wiped out in the earlier attack, but we eventually slaughtered them.” Spearman sighed as he tightened his grip around his spear.

“Yes, I remember now, those two would go on rat quests in the sewers. It was a shame to lose them.” Guild Girl frowned as she recalled those who had been lost in the past couple years. “I’m sorry that all we can tell you is that your friends have passed.”

“Thank you…it’s at least better than not knowing.” Priestess smiled weakly. “ _That…that can’t be. We set out from here only a short while ago._ ”

“Isn’t there a farm between here and the town? Did the occupants survive that attack?” Half-Demon Thief was curious as to the fate of the girl and her uncle on the farm.

In her panic, Priestess had completely forgotten about her friend on the farm, it had been the first spot to be attacked during that goblin assault.

“The owner of the farm did not survive. I believe a relative of his has rebuilt the farm and we see them almost every day.”

“What’s with all the commotion? The guild is more talkative than normal.”

“Indeed, Lady Ranger.”

The girls faces lit up when they heard these two familiar voices and turned toward the side to see High Elf Archer and Lizard Priest descend down the stairs, but soon the joy turned to shock when they saw they friends. High Elf Archer was virtually the same as they had remembered but could see a black eye patch covering her right side as well as what looked like burn scars around that side of her face. Lizard Priest body was covered in scars and his left hand was missing, a Dragontooth Swordclaw attached to the stump.

“Oh new faces, I haven’t seen you before.” High Elf Archer smiled as she greeted the two new guild patrons.

“I too welcome you. What bring you both here this fine day?”

“We…we were looking to meet up with some old friends, but it seems they are no longer here.” Priestess sniffed as tears started to form in her eyes.

“Two of their friends were lost in that goblin raid a while back.” Spearman responded.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“What about your other companion?” Half-Demon Thief looked around for Dwarf Shaman but could not find him.

“What third companion?” High Elf Archer tensed as she heard them mention something they shouldn’t know about.

“The dwarf shaman. Isn’t he with you?” Priestess asked as she too looked around the guild for him.

“How is it you know of our comrade?” Now Lizard Priest was growing rather suspicious of these two young women.

“Well…”

“We had crossed your party in passing some time ago back in Water Town. At the time, we found it unusual to see the pairing.” Half-Demon Thief responded as she placed a hand on Priestess shoulder to keep her from saying anything further.

Both High Elf Archer and Lizard Priest were silent for a bit as they studied the two young women before them, but with a sigh High Elf Archer decided to let them know the truth.

“He…he was lost a while back.” High Elf Archer sighed as she touched the right side of her face.

“What happened?” Priestess eyes were wide when she heard about the loss of Dwarf Shaman.

“He, along with the two of us, were assigned to find a human adventurer to aid us in flushing out a nest of goblins near the eleven border. Thankfully, the Spearman and his partner, were kind enough to help us.”

Spearman grunted as he continued to nurse his ale, it was then that Half-Demon Thief noticed that Witch was not around the guild hall.

“We found the nest and did our best to tackle the problem…but underestimated the leader of the group. He launched a fireball at us…wiped out the remaining goblins and nearly killed us too. The dwarf…protected me at the cost of his life, I only ended up with this scar, while he paid the ultimate price.”

“I too was injured and lost my hand. The ogre, was quite formidable, able to heal from our attacks.” Lizard Priest looked over his disfigured hand before continuing. “The Witch managed to enchant the Spearman’s weapon which allowed him to deliver the final blow. Only…”

“Only she didn’t make it.” Spearman downed his drink before tossing the container to the side. “Crushed under the ogre’s weapon.”

“Didn’t Goblin Slayer go with you?” Priestess remarked but had to remember that this was not the same Goblin Slayer she remembered.

“No, she’s just a rookie, wouldn’t make sense to take her.” Spearman shook his head then looked back at the two young women. “Why the hell are you so damn interested in Goblin Slayer? What is she to you?”

“We heard stories and were interested in someone who just specialized in the weakest monster, only the stories we heard said a male, not a female.” Half-Demon Thief did her best to throw off any suspicion.

“She’s…a bit distant, she was part of a group that started with us almost two years ago, apparently she was the only survivor.” Guild Girl had a saddened expression as the thought back about all the lost adventurers over the past seven years working here at the guild, then as she looked at Priestess something seemed familiar. “Now that I look at you, I’m sure we’ve met before but…no that can’t be, you look just like her, but she’s dead.”

“Dead…who’s dead?” Priestess not sure just how much more she could take.

“About two years ago, there was a young girl who had just started with us. Yes I remember now, she was an Earth Mother Acolyte just like you, in fact I’d say you’re the spitting image of her. She joined with a group of three to hunt goblins…none of them came back that day or the next.” Guild Girl’s frown deepened as she remembered the sight of the survivor coming back to the guild. “It was on the third day that she came in, beaten and bruised from her ordeal, she reported that the goblins were dead…even the children. She was the only survivor of her party, after that, she adopted a much darker personality and limited herself to hunting nothing but goblins.”

As if on cue, the bell above the door sounded, and as everyone turned in walked a rather small oddly dressed figure. She was wearing dirty leather armor over her chainmail and helmet covering her head, wrapped around her hands were spiked gauntlets, these same spikes were present on his knee guards. Two short swords were sheathed behind her back and around her chest were several small daggers. The figure’s armor was stained with dark-red blotches, obviously dried blood, and there was a stench of death that linger on her as she approached the front table.

“The goblins are dead.” The figure’s tone was dispassionate, nearly devoid of all emotion.

“Welcome back Goblin Slayer.”

“I’m ready for my next quest.”

“Don’t you want to rest first? It’s getting rather late.” Guild Girl smiled but found herself uncomfortable when she spoke with Goblin Slayer.

“What difference does that make? The goblins won’t wait so why should I?”

“Well, you have visitors.”

Goblin Slayer signed in annoyance as she turned to see the two young women.

“What do you…you!” Goblin Slayer paused when she laid eyes on Priestess. “No, you died in the cave.”

Goblin Slayer undid the strap under her helmet and slowly removed it. Priestess was indeed surprised to see the young woman with raven black hair in a ponytail, just as she had seen her with on their first adventure. This young girl though did not have the same bright expression on her face as she had when they had started together, she now looked tired and worn down, which would be accurate given the constant goblin slaying quest she would undertake as evident by the steel level tag around her neck.

“ _Fighter…she survived and didn’t give up! But look at her, I can’t even imagine what she’s been going through on her own all this time._ ”

“You…you look just like the young priestess who joined our group, but that can’t be…she died on the quest. All of them…dead.” Goblin Slayer then looked carefully at the girl’s guild tags and noted the level. “No, it’s not you. She was porcelain…not steel. Sorry.”

“Oh no, that’s quite alright.” Priestess smiled weakly but internally was not sure what was going on. “ _Fighter has become Goblin Slayer. Dwarf Shaman and Witch are gone. I’m dead. None of this make any sense!_ ”

“Guild Girl said you needed to speak with me? What do you want?” There was evident annoyance in her tone.

“I…we…”

“I can see that you’re tired, so we’ll discuss our business in the morning.” Half-Demon Thief smiled and nodded her head toward Goblin Slayer then looked back toward Guild Girl. “Can we see about getting a room for a few nights?”

“Of course.”

Guild Girl helped them secure their rooms, all the while the rest of the guild patrons continued to eyeball them suspiciously. Once everything was finished, both girls made their way up the stairs to find their room, and once inside both collapsed on their beds trying to wrap their heads around what had been happening.

“Okay…so did we go back in time? Forward? I don’t know.”

“Something happened when that light surrounded us.” Priestess clutched her garments tightly trying to keep herself from crying. “Our friends are gone or changed. Goblin Slayer is not Goblin Slayer. I’m…I’m dead.”

“So what the hell happened? How did things change so much, all we did was save one village?” Half-Demon Thief growled as she slammed her fist upon the bed.

Priestess eyes went wide as she heard Half-Demon Thief comment, and her mind started to think back to what they heard from those villagers. The young boy with red eyes, his older sister, his friend who had traveled to the city.

“Why didn’t I see it earlier?”

“What do you mean?”

“That boy in the village, the one that we thought looked like Goblin Slayer…that was Goblin Slayer.”

“That was…wait what do you mean?”

“That spell, that red light that surrounded us, it wasn’t a gate spell…it was a time spell. We traveled to Goblin Slayer village in the past!”

“How did we end up in that village? Was that wizard trying to go there?”

“I…I think it may have been me. I was thinking about Goblin Slayer when we weren’t able to save that girl on the altar.”

“Then thought is needed to direct where the spell caster goes. So…does that mean that we weren’t supposed save his village?”

“I was told that Goblin Slayer’s village was destroyed by the goblins, he survived but was forced to watch as goblins killed everyone.”

“Then…because we saved him, we changed the outcome of all other events?”

“He wouldn’t be the adventurer who saved me from the goblins…and because he and I weren’t part of the elf’s party, others took our place and were attacked.”

“Then that means I would still be serving the Lich Queen or may be one of the horde already. Then how do we fit in, if our own futures are supposed to have changed?”

“I don’t know…maybe the will of the gods, our own interference in the past, I could not say.”

“Then where is Goblin Slayer? Did…did he end up being killed on that assault on the farm?”

“I…I don’t know. This is far too much for me to take in.”

“Then I say we get some sleep; we can figure out how to change things tomorrow.”

“What if we can’t change things?”

“Then…then we find a way to be useful in this world. Enough thinking for one day, let’s get some rest.”

Outside their room, High Elf Archer paused as her eyes picked up on their conversation, she frowned at what she was hearing and turned toward Lizard Priest, nodding her head toward him which he returned.

xxxx

The next morning, Priestess and Half-Demon Thief walked down toward the guild hall to get some breakfast, at the same time were really waiting to see if Cow Girl would make her deliveries. The two happily enjoyed their breakfast but had to endure the stares of the others who still did not approve of Half-Demon Thief.

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I’m used to it.”

“Good morning!” A familiar energetic voice sounded by the entrance.

Both girls turned to find Cow Girl enter with her manifest in hand to check with Guild Girl. For both women it was a relief to see their friend alive and well in this timeline. They then heard a deep voice from outside the guild and as the doors opened, in entered a man with greyish hair and red eyes in an ordinary hempen shirt and cotton gambeson, and a bright smile on his face.

“It’s him…and he’s smiling.” Half-Demon Thief was in shock seeing him out of his armor and looking so happy.

“It is…I’m…I’m happy.” Priestess smiled but was not sure is what she was seeing was a good thing.

“Hey, is everything unloaded?” Cow Girl smiled as she turned toward him.

“All finished, did you get the paperwork done?”

“I’m all good here.” Cow Girl smiled as she looked toward him but then began to look around. “Wait where is she?”

“Oh not to worry she’s coming and if I know her she’ll bring him in too.” He turned toward the doorway and in came someone new.

Underneath the guild doors came in a little girl with reddish hair and bright red eyes, she wore a bright pink dress and was smiling and laughing as she ran toward them.

“Mama! Papa!” The little happily squealed as he scooped her up and held her high.

Guild Girl smiled as she saw the two parents coddle their daughter, but for Priestess and Half-Demon Thief they could only look on with wide eyes at this change. Then a new figure entered through the doors, a large familiar figure, a black dire wolf. The massive wolf happily wagged his tail as he walked over toward Cow Girl and the young man.

“Ah there you are Wolf.” The young man smiled as he passed his daughter over to his wife and bent down to pet the large wolf. “Thanks for looking out for our little one. I’ll make sure to get you some meat before we go.”

Priestess instinctively stood wanting to rush over and talk to him, but was stopped as Half-Demon Thief placed a hand over hers.

“Don’t.”

“But…it’s him.”

“I know but look at them…they’re happy. We can’t get ourselves involved.”

Before they could debate the matter any further, both felt a hand on their shoulder and turned to find High Elf Archer looking at them with a rather stern look.

“We need to talk, upstairs in the meeting rooms. Now.”

Both young women looked toward one another then nodded their heads as they followed High Elf Archer up the stairs. Both took one last look to see the happy family say their goodbyes before exiting the guild. Once inside, the door was shut by Lizard Priest who stood by the doorway making sure the girls would not leave until they were finished.

“Take a seat.” High Elf Archer sat in the couch opposite of the girls then looked toward them. “We’ve never met in Water Town.”

“No…we haven’t.” Priestess said then sighed as she steeled herself for what she was about to say. “You and I would have meet here in the guild about two years ago…had I survived?”

“What do you mean?” High Elf Archer looked at them suspiciously. “How do you know me?”

“We are comrades of your party. You, Goblin Slayer, the priest, the priestess, the dwarf and I are all in a party.” Half-Demon Thief added to Priestess exposition.

“Goblin Slayer…you mean that young woman?”

“No, the silver ranked man in leather armor.” Priestess sighed as she recalled seeing him down there in the guild, but it was not him.

“You’re not making any sense! Stop with all these riddles, tell me something that would make me trust you.” High Elf Archer placed a hand on her bow as she contemplated whether to attack or not.

“You became an adventurer to explore the world. You sister got married not to long ago.” Priestess replied with a stern look about her face.

“You became an adventurer to root out heresies and become a dragon.” Half-Demon Thief smiled as she looked toward Lizard Priest.

High Elf Archer and Lizard Priest were shocked by what they heard, these two new figures could not have known about such things when they had met only yesterday.

“My…my sister had to postpone her marriage due to the battle with resurrected Demon Lord.” High Elf Archer looked at these girls with an unsure expression about her face. “Just…just how do you know so much?”

“What do you know of Time spells?”


	34. Chapter 34

“A Time Spell? Do you mean as a way to enhance one’s perception of time?” Lizard Priest rubbed his chin with his good hand.

“A spell to send one through time…to the past or possibly the future.” Priestess then thought about what had happened in that village and how it had changed so much.

“So you’re saying that you’re not from this time?” High Elf Archer paused as she listened to these two young girls.

“Not exactly. The time we come from is the same as here, but somehow…everything has changed in some form or another.”

“Can you tell us if the Demon Lord has been defeated by the Hero?” Priestess thought she might be able to discern just how much had changed if she knew about the status of the Demon Lord.

“Hero? There hasn’t been a Hero since the group that took down the Demon Lord some ten years ago?” High Elf Archer shook her head. “But it’s not just the resurrected Demon Lord to worry about.”

“To the north, there are reports of the Lich Queen and her horde moving to swallow up the area. All around there are rumors of other minions of chaos who are doing what they can spread their master’s influence. A village of Padfoots being overrun by demons, sightings of an ancient Dark God…said to have a hundred hands, as well as multiple sightings of goblins roaming the lands unchecked. Worst of those are two troublesome rumors…the appearance of a Goblin Paladin also to the north and an army of goblins led by a human to the west.”

“Goblin army…the Beast Master.” Priestess closed her eyes and sighed as she clutched her sounding staff. “ _If…if the Goblin Paladin is still alive…that means that Noble Fencer was never saved and is most likely gone. Now the Beast Master is still among the living, everything I hear continues to bother me._ ”

“ _I remember Priestess and the others mentioned Beast Master to me, not sure about this Goblin Paladin though._ ” Half-Demon Thief thought on this, and like Priestess, did not like the direction any of this was going. “How the hell is there so much chaos running unchecked around the land?”

“I don’t know, many associate it to the will of the gods who enjoy watching the mortal race suffer.” High Elf Archer frowned as she narrowed her good eye on the tow young girls. “Or perhaps…it’s due to the meddling of two foolish young women.”

Both Priestess and Half-Demon Thief were shocked when they heard this, they had not expected High Elf Archer to be so venomous toward them.

“You have no right to place all the blame solely on us.” Half-Demon Thief snapped as she placed both hands on the table before her and leaned over toward the elf.

“All…all we did was save one village.” Priestess was on the verge of crying, not used to being blamed for something by the elf.

“And look at all the good that has come from your actions.”

“Lady Ranger that is quite enough!”

The three girls turned toward the voice to find Lizard Priest approaching the trio by the table a stern look about his face.

“The hell it is, because of them, everything has fallen apart! That…that fat dwarf would still be with us.”

“And we should blame them for doing their job given their situation? Should they have abandoned that village and let those poor people die?”

High Elf Archer growled as she looked back at Lizard Priest, seeing all the damage he had accumulated and thought about her own injuries, then looked back at the two young women and her frown softened when she saw them, really saw them. Two young adventurers who had done what they had thought was right.

“No…I suppose not.” High Elf Archer sighed as she breathed out her frustrations. “You hadn’t planned on rewriting history. This village you saved…what made it so special that it would change so much?”

“If I am correct, it was the village of our party’s leader, Goblin Slayer.”

“So in your time, Goblin Slayer is not female but a young male.” Lizard Priest commented as he tilted his head to the side.

“What makes your Goblin Slayer more special than the Goblin Slayer we have now? Does he become the Hero destined to save the world?” High Elf Archer wondered what kind of Hero he could be with a title like that.

“No, he is not the destined Hero. He is one who primarily focuses on hunting goblins. In five years’ time he has risen to the rank of silver just hunting goblins. But it is his actions that save the Hero when she was a young girl and inspires her to become an adventurer.” Priestess then really thought about what she had just said. “ _Does…that mean he was always destined to suffer while others rejoiced? How…how could the gods above will something like that to happen?_ ”

“This Goblin Slayer sounds like quite the interesting human. I would have liked to meet someone so unusual.” High Elf Archer closed her eyes and smiled trying to picture what this adventurer looked like.

“You’ve actually met him already. He was that man at the front with his daughter.”

“What! That guy is Goblin Slayer? That happy father down there?” High Elf Archer was stunned by this revelation.

“My word, I would never have guessed such a thing if given a hundred years to think about it.” Lizard Priest too was shocked to learn this.

“He…doesn’t smile that much. So it’s odd to see him like that…especially with a child.” Priestess weakly smiled as she thought about Goblin Slayer.

“So what now…so much has changed from what we know. Much evil still exists here and many comrades are gone. Are we forced to stay in this time?” Half-Demon Thief was not sure what to make of all these developments.

“That is indeed something to ponder.” Lizard Priest brought his good hand to his chin as contemplated this notion. “Perhaps…there is some way of undoing all of this then.”

“If…if the human we saw still exists in this world, he might be able to recast that spell.” Half-Demon Thief thought out loud at what could be done to fix this situation.

“Then that should be our top priority, find this human and have him fix this.” High Elf Archer smiled as she nodded her head in approval.

All three failed to notice Priestess panicked expression on her face, she listened to them and her eyes grew wider and wider with talk of going back and undoing their actions.

“What…what are you talking about?”

The three turned toward her and saw her expression, like before she looked panicked and ready to cry.

“We have to think about how to get back to our own time, assuming it’s even possible.”

“You’re talking about going back and making him suffer. You yourself stopped me this morning from talking to him and now you want to go and undo this spell.”

“Yes, it was not our place to bother that happy family.”

“But even now we’re going to do just that, we’re going to take away his happiness for our own sakes! How…how can you all be so selfish?”

“Now just a minute…”

“No, I’ll hear no more of this.” Priestess quickly stood and rushed toward the door before the others could stop her.

“What…what was all that about?” High Elf Archer was confused by the young girl’s actions.

“She’s been traveling with our Goblin Slayer for two years now, you all have.” Half-Demon Thief sighed as she though about what she was wanting the change, the image of Goblin Slayer and his family came into mind. “He saved her on her first adventure, which would explain why she is dead in this time. Our Goblin Slayer may be a silent, brooding individual, but he has saved so many us time and time again. Seeing him finally happy now and thinking about taking that away from him, may be too much for her.”

“True…we’re asking him to shoulder all the despair so that we don’t have to.”

“But it’s for the good of the world, to bring back those we lost and…it is rather selfish to ask that he give up his happiness.” High Elf Archer thought about what she was saying and sighed as she began to rethink her proposal.

“I’m going to go and talk with her. Perhaps, we can find some solution that will allow us to undo all the changes and let him keep his family. After all he’s been through, he does deserve some happiness…even if I’m not the one to bring him that.”

Half-Demon Thief exited the meeting room and proceeded to her own shared room with Priestess to see if she was in there, but upon opening the door found it to be empty. Half-Demon Thief frowned as she exited the room and went back down towards the tavern to look for her friend, but could not find her down below, instead she found the female Goblin Slayer nearby one of the tables.

“ _Maybe she might have seen Priestess._ ” Half-Demon Thief made her way down the armored adventurer. “Goblin Slayer.”

The armored warrior slowly turned her head toward the Thief and spoke, its voice dispassionate.

“What is it?”

“I’m sorry to bother you, but you haven’t seen my comrade, have you?”

“You mean that priestess? I saw her exit the guild a few minutes ago.”

“Thanks.” Half-Demon Thief exited the guild and looked around the area but saw no immediate sign of her friend then growled in frustration when she realized where Priestess must have gone. “That damn fool.”

Half-Demon Thief took off, determined to catch up with her friend, as she traveled down the road that would take her to the farm…to him.

xxxx

The god of Chaos growled as he examined the board and watched the two pieces looking to move toward an inactive piece, one that had been changed after the massive roll some time ago. The board finally fit what he felt was appropriate, the forces of evil and chaos were running wild across the land, the free races were scrambling to set up some kind of defense, and now two young individuals were going to go about an undo all he had worked for.

“ _This will not do. If by some chance they are able to achieve they’re goal…no, they won’t!_ ” He looked about the board, looking for one of his followers that might be able to help and finally found one. “ _There, the Demon Priest, you shall take your followers and destroy that altar, serve you master well._ ”

Chaos chuckled to himself, pleased with this quick decisions, then looked up from the board to find Truth and Illusion approaching, hopefully they had not heard him.

“ _Ah Truth, Illusion, have you come to admire my handywork?_ ”

“ _I only come to see what the mortals are doing and to decide on when I should roll the dice._ ” Illusion ignored Chaos the best she could as she took her seat by the table and looked over the board.

“ _For me…I am biding my time, choosing when and whom I should speak with._ ”

“ _Ever the mysterious one, but I know you well enough, you always wanted that odd piece off the board and now it has been done._ ”

“ _It is true that he is inactive…at the moment, but it is still unknown, even to me when he will move back into position._ ”

Chaos frowned as he looked over Truth, he assumed that he knew the god well enough, but in this brief exchange, began to question just how well he knew him. Only time would tell how this game would end, and he would make sure that he would be the winner.

xxxx

Priestess grunted as she made her way down the long stretch of road, she would soon be approaching the farm, where the last shred of what she had known was still around. She was still upset over what had been discussed back at the guild, but found herself starting to calm down the closer she got to the farm.

“Hey!”

Priestess paused and turned to see the hooded figure running to catch up to her, one look at this figure told her it was Half-Demon Thief. Part of her wanted to keep on walking, she was still mad, but the more mature part of her told her to stay and wait for her friend. Half-Demon Thief finally caught up with Priestess and placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

“I finally found you. You know, that was a damn stupid thing to do, running off like that.”

“Then, are you here to stop me?”

Half-Demon Thief looked toward the young girl, not much younger than her, and smiled as she shook her head.

“Come on, let’s go see him and the others.”

“Wait…I…I don’t understand.”

“You want to see him, don’t you? Well I’m not going to stop you this time, and I want to see him and Wolf again.”

Priestess still shocked smiled and nodded her head as she and Half-Demon Thief started up once again toward the farm. They walked in silence for a while until Priestess finally decided to break the silence.

“It’s rather selfish of me to not want to help the others isn’t it?”

“In a way yes…but it’s also selfish of me to want us to go back and change things, when he has finally found a source of happiness.”

“Must we change everything? I know much has changed in this time, friends lost, the minions of chaos roaming unchecked…I am dead. Yet, it still makes me smile to see him happy.”

“I haven’t known him as long as you or the others, but I do know that what we are seeing here is so much different from what we’re used to experiencing. I too am happy and surprised to see him with a family and delighted to know that Wolf is still by his side.”

“You…you don’t suppose he’ll remember us do you?”

“I doubt it, if it’s anything like the others who have no memory of us, he might very well be the same.” Half-Demon Thief then took note of from on Priestess face and smiled as she continued. “But you never know, let’s go see.”

The two girls continued on until the farm finally started to come into view, there near the field the two young women could see Cow Girl tending to the few cows while off in the field was the former Goblin Slayer; near the house was their young daughter happily petting the massive dire wolf. Wolf’s ears twitched as it heard the sounds of approaching footsteps and looked around to see two approaching young women. Wolf instinctively stood and moved in front of the little girl and slowly growled alerting the others both outside the house and inside. Both girls stopped as they neared the house and slightly bowed their heads towards the approaching Cow Girl and Goblin Slayer.

“Good afternoon.” Priestess smiled as she saw the two of them, though internally was nervous at meeting Goblin Slayer again.

“Can we help you?” Goblin Slayer, or rather Farmer, was curious at the sight of these two adventurers on their farm.

“We were told that this location had been attacked by goblins some time ago, and we wanted to see if their was anything that might give us some information on what the goblins might have been thinking.” Half-Demon Thief did her best to come up with an excuse for them being there.

“It’s true this place had been attacked some time ago, my uncle was unfortunately lost in that battle.” Cow Girl slightly frowned at the thought of her deceased uncle.

“That’s quite unusual, wondering about the thinking of goblins, I thought only that odd adventurer at the guild was the only one.” Farmer replied as he shook his head.

“Oh right, that young girl always wearing that filthy armor…uh…Goblin Slayer wasn’t it?” Cow Girl replied.

“That’s the one, are you two comrades of her’s?”

“Not exactly, we’re from a different guild, but also have an interest in the “going on’s” of the goblins.” Half-Demon Thief smiled.

“The leader…the former leader of our party was also fixated with goblins.” Priestess frowned as she looked toward the ground.

“Was he lost in battle?”

“In a way he was.”

“I’m sorry for your loss. You know, as I look at the two of you, there’s something very familiar about you both.” Farmer pondered as he studied the two girls.

“They look familiar, is there something you want to admit to?” Cow Girl looked over her husband suspiciously, though it was all in good fun.

“Come now, you know you’re the only one for me.” Farmer nervously smiled then looked back at the two adventurers. “It’s just I can’t help but feel I’ve met them both before.”

“Maybe during your time as an adventurer?” Cow Girl now looked over the two girls wondering if there was anything she needed to be cautious of.

“They look very similar to the two who saved our village more than ten years ago.” A new voice could be heard, this one feminine, as the elegant woman exited the house to join the others. “Now that I look at them, I’d say they look exactly like those two young ladies we met.”

Everyone could see an attractive middle-aged woman approach them, her hair slightly longer than it had been before, but still braided as it sat upon her right shoulder. Priestess and Half-Demon Thief were indeed surprised to see this woman, one they had never expected to meet as their Goblin Slayer had mentioned her passing quite some time ago.

“That’s it then, they look just like those adventurers, but they couldn’t be the same ones, as you said it was more than ten years ago.” Farmer smiled then looked back toward the adventurers. “Forgive my rudeness, here we’ve been talking and I haven’t introduced anyone. You’ve met my wife, that is my sister, and down here is my little one, and I believe you all saw Wolf the other day too?”

“A pleasure to meet all of you.” Priestess smiled as she bowed her head.

“Very nice to meet you.” Half-Demon Thief nodded toward everyone.

“I just finished getting lunch ready for everyone, why don’t you join us?” Elder Sister then looked over toward both Farmer and Cow Girl. “If that’s okay with both of you of course?”

“As if you had to ask, of course their welcome to join us.” Cow Girl smiled at the thought of speaking with the young adventurers.

“It’s fine with me, I’d be honored to have you both join us.” Farmer smiled at both the girls as well.

“Uh…well…”

Before the girls could answer Wolf moved past Farmer and Cow Girl slowly approaching the two women. Both girls wanted to greet the large dire wolf but had to remember that this was not the same comrade they had known. Wolf moved around the girls cautiously smelling them then paused when it saw the small girl running toward the adventurers. The young daughter happily ran toward the two young women and looked up at them smiling brightly.

“Hello.”

“Hello.” Both young women were delighted to meet this young girl.

“Come on, time to eat.” The young daughter took hold of Priestess’ hand and pulled her toward the house.

Half-Demon Thief smiled as she saw Priestess being dragged away by the young girl then felt something lean up against her. She looked down to see Wolf staring back at her and noticed his tail wagging, with a smile on her face she reached down to pet the massive wolf atop its head before joining the others in the house. Inside the house, the group sat at the table happily eating and conversing while Wolf ate from his bowl off in the corner.

“I meant to ask, that is a dire wolf yes?” Priestess knew full well about Wolf, but wanted to know how he had come into contact with Wolf if he wasn’t an adventurer.

“That he is.”

“How’d you end up with a wolf for a pet?”

“Funny you should say that, Wolf is his name too.”

“I still think you should have come up with something more creative than that.” Cow Girl teased.

“Anyway, several years ago, my wife and I met him in the field when he was a young pup, after an afternoon of playing he ran back to the woods. We thought we had seen the last of him, but to my surprise he came back and I convinced my sister to let us keep him.”

“I’m still unsure how you managed to convince me of that.” Elder Sister smiled as she looked over at Wolf happily eating.

“I asked nicely.” Framer happily ate his stew then looked back to the young women. “So what brings you both to the town?”

“We had come to find an old comrade of ours but found that he was no longer around.” Priestess frowned as she thought back how much of what had known was different.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Cow Girl replied when she had saw the sad expression on the young girl’s face.

“Thank you, it was indeed troublesome to have found that he was gone, but we’ll make sure to do right by him.” Half-Demon Thief replied.

“It must be interesting to be an adventurer?” This time it was Elder Sister who spoke.

“Oh we can always go back and ask him about what it was like to be an adventurer.” Cow Girl smiled as she looked toward her husband.

“Hey come on now, that was a long time ago.”

“You used to be an adventurer?” Priestess was immediately intrigued by this, perhaps there was still some of Goblin Slayer inside.

“Many years ago, I didn’t even last a full year before I decided to come back home.”

“What happened?” Half-Demon Thief was also curious to hear what caused him to effectively retire.

“At fifteen, I decided to become an adventurer…I was inspired by those two who saved my village from the goblins. I ended up pairing with a young warrior, within our party were a dwarf warrior, a monk and a half-elf ranger. We had done pretty well for ourselves until we faced the rock eater…half-elf ranger was lost and dwarf warrior lost his arm in the battle but we managed to escape.” Farmer sighed as he thought back to the sight of his fallen comrades. “Monk soon left to help dwarf warrior back home, our leader had fallen into a drunken depression, I tried to get him to come back on adventures, but he refused. I joined a large party to go and slay the beast, we were successful though the battle had been costly, after that battle I had been promoted to obsidian, but then resigned from the guild.”

“Why did you resign?” Half-Demon Thief was curious, they had defeated the beast and yet he had returned home instead.

“I thought back to how devastating it must have been for our ranger’s family to hear about the loss of their daughter and then realized that I could not do that to my sister.” Farmer smiled as he looked over at his sister. “She gave up so much to help me, so I could do the same to help her. I returned home, got married a couple years later and now…well you know the rest.”

Farmer could not help but smile as he took in the sight of his beautiful wife and lovely daughter; Priestess and Half-Demon Thief too smiled when they saw him so happy with his family.

“Do ever miss being an adventurer?” Half-Demon Thief asked the question with genuine interest.

“From time to time, but I’m happy here with my family.”

“He won’t admit it, but every now and then I see him go out to the shed by the barn to get his weapons and practice his swordsmanship.”

“Hey now, why’d you have to go and say that.” Farmer growled as he looked over at his wife who was smiling.

“It’s rather cute, like watching a young boy play pretend.”

“I am not playing pretend!” Farmer growled once again before continuing with his meal.

The others laughed and conversed as they continued their meal, but soon it came time for both Priestess and Half-Demon Thief to take their leave. The two young women said their goodbye’s before exiting the house and making the long trek back to the guild.

“Just a moment.” The two turned toward the voice to see Elder Sister approaching them.

“Can we help you?” Priestess smiled as she looked toward the older sister.

“He may not remember you because it was so long ago, but I do.”

“What…what are you…”

“You’re the same young women who came to our village are you not?”

“We are.” Priestess sighed as she confessed to the accusation.

“I don’t know what magic brought you here, but I do want to thank you again for all that you’ve done and it is because of that that I must regrettably ask that you both never come back here.”

“Wait a moment, what do you mean?” Half-Demon Thief was confused by this weird statement.

“You saw them back there yes? He has a family now, my brother is happy and that is all I’ve ever wanted. I’m not exactly sure what your business here was, but the best thing you can do is to leave them in peace. Please.”

The two young girls were silent for a moment, but in that silence could hear the little girl laughing as her parents played with her.

“Rest assured, we will not be back to bother them. We only wish for him to be happy.” Half-Demon Thief weakly smiled as she nodded her head toward the older sister.

“Yes, we will be on our way, thank you.”

The two young women nodded toward Goblin Slayer’s older sister before walking back on the road toward the guild. The older sister lingered behind for a few more moments as she watched the young women before turning around herself to go back inside. The walk back to town was rather quiet as the two pondered what they would do and what the older sister had asked them.

“If…if we are able to change things, everything will change back to the way it was.” Priestess replied as they continued their trek.

“Yes. His village will be lost, and so will his sister, but those who are lost now will be back.”

“Do…do we really have to change everything?”

“I don’t know…we’re not even sure if there is a way for us to undo all of this. The only thing we can do is talk with the others and try to find that wizard who cast that spell, but where to start?”

“I can think of only one person who might be able to help us.”

“Who?”

“The Sword Maiden.”

**Author’s Note: Sorry for the delay, school started up two weeks ago and I’ve been busy getting my kids back into the swing of things and advising my student’s anime club. I’m grateful for the comments on the last couple chapters and like all of you, have been wondering about this arc. This arc is going to be much darker than my previous ones and as many of you can guess will indeed have a bittersweet ending. Originally I had planned on the four characters, Priestess, Half-Demon Thief, Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric going on the quest as they had, but instead of the time travel concept would find that the kidnappings were by cultists to sacrifice to a vampire, but thought “an arc with zombies, a future arc with a werewolf…if I introduce a vampire will I be leaning too heavily on other monsters?”**

**Guys I need an honest opinion, should I continue with this time travel arc or go with the vampire stuff instead? I have no problem retconning the last couple chapters, and tweaking the final part of Chapter 31, but I am determined to finish this arc if you prefer (I’m not going to leave a job unfinished). Thanks again for all the support and feedback.**


	35. Chapter 35

“So what’s your decision?” High Elf Archer looked back toward the two young women before her.

Both Priestess and Half-Demon Thief sat on the bed, sighing as the tension in the small room was so thick it could be cut with a sword, across from them was High Elf Archer on the other bed, beside her was the ever imposing Lizard Priest.

“If we are to find any way of fixing what has been lost, we will have to find that human wizard.” Half-Demon Thief replied as she looked the eleven ranger in the eye.

“So, you’re in agreement of undoing this spell?” Lizard Priest looked toward the two young girls with a look of uncertainty.

“Yes, but if all possible I want to refrain from disrupting Goblin…I mean his life.” Priestess frowned as she clutched at her clothing. “Even if he is no longer an adventurer when things have been fixed, I want for him to remain happy.”

Both Lizard Priest and High Elf Archer looked at this girl, there they could see the look of determination upon the small face, whatever she had endured in her time had indeed made her stronger.

“Rest assured my dear, we will do all in our power to restore what has been lost but avoid changing the good that has been found here in this world.” Lizard Priest smiled as he nodded his head toward the young girl.

“It’s like he said, let’s go save the world!” High Elf Archer smiled and nodded toward Priestess as well.

Both Priestess and Half-Demon Thief could not help but smile as the familiar joyous sounds were very comforting to them.

“So what’s the first step to finding this wizard? Do you know where he could be?” High Elf Archer had to wonder just how they would find this one man.

“I’m not sure, the other night was the first time we had seen him. Perhaps we will find some clues at that altar near the village, and if not that, then maybe the Sword Maiden.”

Upon the mere mentioning of Sword Maiden, both High Elf Archer and Lizard Priest both tensed up and looked toward one another which put both Half-Demon Thief and Priestess at unease.

“What…don’t tell me the Sword Maiden is also gone in this world?” Priestess had a panicked expression across her face.

“No…she’s still alive, but I’m not sure just how much help she’ll be.” High Elf Archer sighed as she massaged her right temple. “Water Town…was attacked some time ago, it received quite a bit of damage.”

“Was it goblins?” Priestess asked, though she had a pretty good idea of what had happened.

“Yes…I take it then that if you knew that, you’re Goblin Slayer already dealt with it?”

“That’s correct, we had dealt with it, a massive nest under the city.”

“I take it this was before I joined up with you?”

“That’s correct.” Priestess turned back toward High Elf Archer. “So what happened?”

“The small army of goblins emerged from the sewers at multiple locations and attacked. The Temple of Law was greatly damaged in the attack and many acolytes were lost, but the adventurers eventually managed to stop them. Sword Maiden…barricaded herself in her room, refusing to exit until all goblins had been dealt with.”

“The Sword Maiden’s actions…have brought a lot of doubt in her capabilities.” Lizard Priest sighed as he too thought about what he had heard.

“Regardless, she’s our best chance of finding this wizard. Tomorrow morning, we should head for the sacrificial altar.”

xxxx

The next day, Priestess and the others departed from the guild hall to make their way toward altar, meanwhile on the farm Farmer and his family were bidding farewell to his older sister.

“Do you really have to leave?” the young daughter did her best to pout and guilt her aunt to stay longer.

“As painful as it will be to leave, I have to go back to check on my house.” Elder Sister knelt to pat the young child atop her head then looked back toward her parents. “I should be back in a few days, I can’t be away from the school for too long.”

“Be sure to send my parents my regards…and all the love of their grandchild.” Cow Girl smiled as she looked down at her daughter.

“Seeing those two yesterday made me really yearn to head back to our old village and see how things are that much sooner.” Elder Sister looked over toward her brother and smiled. “You take care of yourself and them too.”

“I will. You worry too much.” He leaned forward to hug his sister. “You be safe as well, be sure to watch the roads.”

“Now who’s worrying? I see you all very soon.”

Elder Sister gave them all one final hug before loading up in the small wagon and gave the reigns a crack and started down the road toward the village. She turned back and waved goodbye toward her family then returned her gaze toward the road. A frown crossed her face as the wagon continued, she felt she should not have said that final comment to the two young adventurers but wanted to make sure that her brother would be happy. She gave her head a slight shake, dismissing the notion that something terrible was going to happen, those two would keep their distance and he would continue to raise his family.

“ _I’ll be back and all will be well._ ”

xxxx

“Now this feels more like what we’re used to.” Half-Demon Thief smiled as the four of them continued on toward the village they had seen just a short while ago.

“I agree, this and the lunch yesterday have been the most pleasant part of this tribulation.” Priestess too smiled happily as she walked with the others.

“I too must agree, for some odd reason it is most pleasant to be traveling with you. It feels like this is what we should have been doing this entire time.” Lizard Priest mused. “I must also add, you suggesting that I try the cheese this morning was pure genius. Such sweet nectar and right under my very nose this whole time!”

“I have to say that’s the happiest I’ve seen you in such a long time.” High Elf Archer too smiled as she enjoyed adventuring with these two young girls.

Ever since their ordeal with the ogre, her perception of what an adventure should be had greatly changed, but now as they walked toward this village and the prospect of changing things for the better, she felt like a true adventurer once again.

“Could, could you tell us what we’re like from your time?” High Elf Archer looked over toward the young women, partly worried if she would not like what she was going to hear.

“I’ve only been with you all for a couple months, but I’ve never had friends like you all before. I was so readily accepted, despite being part demon, it made me feel so happy and so lucky to have met you. I shudder to think what my counterpart is experiencing.”

“Like her, I’ve been truly fortunate to have met such fine friends as you all. In our party, Goblin Slayer is very quiet, you and I are always trying to get him to say more than just two words and try quests that are not solely focused on goblins. On every quest, you and the dwarf shaman are constantly arguing, but it’s friendly banter between two comrades.” Priestess smiled as she thought about all they had gone through.

“That does sound like fun. What would we argue about?”

“He…he would refer to you as an anvil, due to the…lack of meat on your body, primarily your chest.” Priestess struggled to say all of that with a blush on her face. “You would immediately get mad and refer to him as nothing more than a walking barrel.”

“That fat…I would have loved to have had those kind of arguments.”

“You, like Goblin Slayer, are one that we lean on for strength, the most level headed of the group, and a delightful individual to speak with.”

“Such praise, surely I am not worthy of it.”

“In the short amount of time I’ve been traveling with you, I can say she is not exaggerating on anything.” Half-Demon Thief added with a smile but soon saw something that put a frown upon her face. “Up ahead of us, I see smoke in the distance.”

Priestess and the others saw what she was talking about, above the tree line they could see the dark plumes of smoke rising, and it was then that Priestess realized it was in the direction of the village. The group of adventurers rushed forward at full speed and in a short while reached the village, only to discover the horror before them. The village had been razed; the bodies of the villagers lay scattered around the area in various stages of trauma. Priestess was distraught as she looked around the area at the carnage that surrounded them and to her horror discovered the bodies of the young girl and her older sister atop her, apparently she had died trying to protect her young sibling.

“ _Oh Earth Mother why…why must so many suffer?_ ”

“Is this the work of your wizard?” Lizard Priest closed his eyes and bowed his head to pray for those lost.

“I don’t think so.” Half-Demon Thief cautiously looked over the area, particularly the footprints along the ground.

“How can you tell?” High Elf archer followed the young demoness as she studied the ground.

“I’m seeing multiple footprints, but none of them are heading back towards the forest. The group that attacked took captives with them when we were last here, but this…this is just senseless slaughter.” Half-Demon Thief continued to follow the footprints until she saw they led out of the village toward the forest further away from the village. “This group left here…away from the village…away from the altar.”

“Over here.” Priestess called as she waved her arms to get their attention.

The others moved to her position, at her feet was another human body, but this one was not one of the villages but a man dressed in black robes.

“He’s different from the bandits we saw the other night.” Half-Demon Thief noted as she looked over the body. “It would seem the villagers managed to put up some sort of fight against their attackers.”

“I’ve seen him before, or rather recognized the robes he dressed in.” Priestess frowned as she looked over the corpse. “He was a member of some group led by a demon priest, when I last encountered them, they were assaulting a padfoot village until our party stopped them.”

For Priestess this meant that the village must have fallen without aid, just another event they would have to rectify once they found this wizard.

“It looks like this group came from further ahead…Priestess, it looks like they came from the forest where we found the altar.” Half-Demon Thief had a worried look about her face as she came to this conclusion.

Priestess too was worried as the implication of what Half-Demon Thief played over in her mind. The party quickly rushed forward, though it took some time, they eventually came upon the clearing they had seen only a short while ago, but now found the stone altar destroyed.

“No.” Priestess tightly gripped her sound staff and used it to keep herself from collapsing to her knees.

“Does…does this mean we are too late?” Lizard Priest looked toward the two girls, but one look on their faces confirmed his suspicions.

“Damn it! All this wasted time…for nothing!” High Elf Archer spat as she looked at the ruins before her.

“Maybe…maybe not.”

All eyes turned toward Half-Demon Thief who looked over the ruined altar then back toward her party members.

“What the hell do you mean? This is now nothing more than a pile of rubble!” High Elf Archer glared at the young demon, feeling angry and frustrated at the thought of not being able to change things.

“This altar is ruined yes, but there may be another one we can use.” Half-Demon Thief looked back at the ruined altar as if confirming her theory. “I should have recognized it before, but I’ve seen something like this. My brother told it me it had been used for human sacrifices, but I didn’t think it had any magical properties to it.”

“Then there’s still a chance of undoing thing?” High-Elf Archer’s face lightened as she heard this.

“Don’t celebrate just yet, if it’s the same kind of structure, then it’s in a very dangerous place…especially if things are different from when we last left it.”

“Where?” Priestess too was hopeful about the possibility of fining an altar that might aid them.

“The Lich Queen’s castle.”

xxxx

Within the Temple of Law she stood in the brightest part of the room; in the light they could not reach her, but in the darkness…that is where they lurked. Sword Maiden shuddered as she held herself tightly, though her eyes could no longer see everything they used to, she could tell about the changes in light, and even the slightest bit of shadow terrified her. She could still hear the screams of the people, of her acolytes from that night so long ago, and she could hear the goblins cackling. She knew of goblins under the city, and had hoped that the adventurers would deal with the matter, but had not expected them to practically overrun the city.

“ _They’re only goblins…we’ll assign some rookies to go after them in the sewers._ ”

Those sentiments had been shared by the guild manger, but now he too was dead. Her familiar had been within the sewers and had managed to devour many of the goblins, but was no match for the monstrous eye that attacked. The roar of the goblin champion leading the goblin forces echoed from the streets, as her acolytes looked back toward the town from the temple, she immediately ran for her quarters, making sure to barricade the door. She did not care about saving face before these people, in that moment she only cared about avoiding that same fate again.

She could hear the cries of the young girls pounding on her doors, seeking her guidance and aid, but she would not answer them. By the time the monsters had been dealt with, much of the city had been destroyed and more than half the population had been wiped out. When the doors to her chamber had been finally forced open, the soldiers found her sitting in the corner of her room sobbing like a child. The respect of being one of the adventurers who had defeated the demon lord was gone in that moment, there were several rumors about her cowardice and what she had truly done on the quest with the other heroes, all of this added to her discomfort and depression.

“If…if only I had the courage that night to help them.”

“What’s in the past can’t be changed, we can only push forward.” A feminine voice called out to her.

Sword Maiden turned toward the voice, her eyes could make out the shape of a young woman walking toward her. This young, shapely woman had short blonde hair and behind her red glasses were dark green eyes.

“Arc Mage.”

This young woman had been summoned by the king since her knowledge of monsters had been quite extensive, she along with Sword Maiden and the King made up the council that would dictate directions toward the other leaders of the military forces.

“It’s been more than a year now since then hasn’t it?” Arc Mage asked as she noticed the Sword Maiden’s distraught face.

“Yes…for more than ten years they have frightened me.”

“It is not wise to dwell on the past, there are no heroes for heroes.”

“I am well aware of that, but you have not been put through their torture have you?” Sword Maiden frowned behind her blindfold at the woman who was judging her.

“No, I have not.”

“Then who are you to tell me what I should do or not do?”

“Just an observer. The king is requesting our presence.”

Sword Maiden and Arc Mage made their way down the halls of the Temple of Law, many parts of it were still damaged from the goblin assault, but much had been repaired as per the lord’s orders. As the two made their way down they passed many individuals from soldiers to magic user, every one of them would look toward the two women with suspicious eyes and would then begin whispering to themselves, both women were already used to the rumors that were being said about them. For Sword Maiden, people spoke about her cowardice and even suggested that she had thrown people out of her way to get away from the goblins. For Arc Mage, people would whisper about her constantly offering her body to others for the simplest of requests and being crazy for thinking that this world was no different than a board game and it was possible to leave the “board” as it were.

“Let them think what they want, we know better.” Arc Mage only looked ahead, not giving those that stared at them any sense of satisfaction.

“That may be, but there is some truth to their rumors.” Sword Maiden walked along with Arc Mage, thankful that her blindfold shielded her from directly looking at these people. “For them…it is odd to see one of the heroes afraid of mere goblins.”

“A demon lord is simple to understand, they only wish to rule the world. Goblins…goblins don’t seek to control the world, they only wish to indulge in their basest of pleasures.” Arc Mage replied as she remembered what research she had done on them.

“They should be wiped out of existence.”

Sword Maiden and Arc Mage finally entered the war room to meet with the other council members, members of the elves, dwarves, lizard men and human race saw them enter and take their seat by king. Once everyone had been assembled, they began their discussion over the most recent turn of events across the land.

“To the far north, the Lich Queen’s horde goes larger, the dwarven fortress has been overrun and their moving southward toward the nearest human settlement.”

“The eleven kingdom nearest here has reports of their people being poisoned by something in the water supply. A horde of goblins have taken up an old fortress and have been apparently dumping a mixture of blood and…waste into the river. Attempts to drive them out have not been successful due to the appearance of the river guardian Mokele-mbembe.”

“The capital has all but fallen to the demon lord’s army, two-thirds of the city have been abandoned by the military to regroup and hold off the demons until help arrives in the remaining sections. Due to the lack of trained soldiers, we’ve conscripted all abled bodied men and children to take up arms against the demons.”

The King heard all of the grim news and frowned as he stared at the large map that showed him all regions of the land. Various pieces were placed around the map to represent the forces of chaos, many major settlements were under siege with various smaller towns and villages being assaulted by various monsters.

“What of the Lich Queen, is her force moving to meet with the Demon Lord?” The King looked at the map concerned with the size of the undead numbering in the thousands.

“By our accounts, there is no evidence to suggest that, but once that human settlement has been destroyed she may move to join him.” Arc Mage replied as she looked over the map with concern as well.

“Then what is our best option, we can’t fight on two fronts engaging the Demon Lord’s army and the Lich Queen’s as well.” The King turned toward the others seeking their advice before giving out any sort of command.

“What of the other heroes from our party?” Sword Maiden asked as she looked toward the King.

The King was silent as he sat there looking at Sword Maiden then back towards the others around him and sighed as he closed his eyes.

“My scouts have tried to locate them, but…they have all fallen in separate battle with the Demon Lord’s generals. Right now, this room contains the wisest and most powerful or individuals left to govern the free lands.”

The council erupted into panicked discussions over what had just been said, many of them were hopeful the other members of the King’s party would return to aid in this darkest of times, but now found that this would not be the case. Before the King could restore order in the room, an attendant entered and rushed toward the Sword Maiden.

“My Lady, you have visitors.”

“We are in council, send them away.”

“I apologize for this interruption my Lady, but this party of adventurers says they have traveled over several days to meet with you, they claim they may have a way of fixing the timeline.”

“Timeline? What are you saying?”

“I did not press them any further my Lady, but their party itself is rather unusual. There is a lizard man, elven ranger, a human priestess and the last one…is a demon.”

All eyes fell upon the attendant as soon as they heard the mention of a demon with this party of adventurers.

“A demon? And he is a registered adventurer?” The King was confused by what he was hearing.

“ ”She” my King, and yes, she bears a guild tag clearly identifying her.”

Sword Maiden turned toward the King and Arc Mage, confused by everything that had been said, not sure herself how to go about dealing with this, but soon decided on the best course of action available to them.

“We can at least speak with them and see if they are indeed telling the truth.” Sword Maiden then turned toward her attendant. “You know the miracle Sense Lie yes?”

“Indeed my Lady.”

“Then let us see this group of adventurers, if there is any truth to their claim it may be the key to defeating the Demon Lord, if they are lying they shall be thrown into the dungeons until I have time to deal with them.” The King stood from his seat and turned to face the rest of the council. “We shall reconvene after I’ve had a chance to speak with these individuals.”

The King, Sword Maiden, Arc Mage and the attendant made their way down the hall toward the great hall to meet with the adventurers. There by the ruined shrine of the Supreme God was the party of four waiting patiently, for Priestess it was both odd and comforting to see Sword Maiden once again.

“Thank you for seeing us.” Priestess bowed her head toward the Sword Maiden and the others.

“How polite? Yet you have a demon in your party, not the wisest of ideas given how we are at war with the Demon Lord.” The King was rather cold in his demeanor as he addressed the group. “Our time is very precious to us, explain yourselves.”

“I understand that my being a demon is reason for suspect, but I assure I am not a follower of the Demon Lord.”

“Then can you prove that we can trust you and what you’ve come to tell us?” Sword Maiden was very suspicious of this group, but knew that with Sense Lie in effect, they could easily determine if this group was here to help or hurt.

“This is not the first time you and I have met. In the bath, you revealed to me that your body is covered in faded scars, you said it was the result of a foolish mistake on an earlier quest more than ten years ago.”

Sword Maiden stood there stunned by what she heard, this young girl knew about her and the scars from the goblins, something she had not shared with anyone.

“She is telling the truth my Lady.”

Sword Maiden turned toward the acolyte, stunned to hear that all that was being said was true, but she had never met this girl before. The King and Arc Mage too were surprised by what they heard and all three turned back toward the party members.

“Just who are you exactly? What did you mean by timeline?” The King wondered what these four could tell him that would help with the demon lord.

“The Thief and I are not from the particular timeline, our party had gone to rescue some captives from a wizard and bandits and accidently interrupted the spell and were sent back to the past.” Priestess explained to the king and the others around him.

“Wait are you saying you’re from the future? Is our time the past? You’re not making much sense.” Arc Mage was trying to come up with a possible theory but needed more information.

Before Priestess could continue, a new voice drew their attention away toward the right. A human male in white robes with red trimming and a large staff in his hand walking toward the group. Priestess and Half-Demon Thief’s faces widened as they saw him and instantly recognized his face from the previous night.

“My King, I’ve been trying to find you all. Far too many of our younger graduates are not faring well against the caliber of monster they’re encountering. At the rate we’re going we need to take other professors from the schools to engage the Demon Lord’s forces.” Light Wizard, clean shaven with short dark hair then caught sight of the four adventurers. “My apologies, I did not mean to interrupt.”

“It’s you! You’re the one we saw that night!” Priestess frowned as she tightly gripped her staff while staring at this man.

“What are you talking about? I don’t even know who you are.”

“You damn idiot, your spell sent us back and changed everything! You’re the reason we’ve lost so much and now you’ll pay for what you’ve done!” Half-Demon Thief drew out her daggers and prepared to attack the wizard.

xxxx

“Our master must be pleased with the sacrifices we gave him.” The Demon Priest smiled as he raised his hands towards to sky and looked down toward his followers. “We shall continue with our righteous mission and shed more blood in the name of the dark gods!”

“Praise the dark gods!” The followers chanted in unison.

The Demon Priest and his followers hid within the forest, they were less than a day away from the Frontier Town, but before they moved to take the town, they would take the farm. He looked from the tree line as saw the framer and the dire wolf moving away from the field toward the main house. Though he did not understand why the dark gods wanted him to destroy the sacrificial altar, he would not disobey their commands, surely slaughtering the family would bring them even greater satisfaction.

“We strike the farm tonight.”

**Author’s Note: Sorry for the delay on this chapter, I’ll be looking to get back onto a more consistent time frame and get back towards our main timeline. You know, it was captaindickscratcher who pointed it out to me, this is just like the _Flashpoint_. I never got around to reading the comic and only saw bits and pieces on youtube, I might have been originally going with an _Endgame_ thought process, but ended up going with _Flashpoint_ instead. It does however give me some ideas on how to end the arc.**

**In the next chapter:**

  * **we going to see the meeting with this world’s wizard and how his reaction will be when he find out what he’s done**
  * **if they are going to assault the Lich Queen’s castle they’re going to need an army, but with the forces spread so thin, who and where can they turn to, hint think about the change in the timeline and who is still alive?**
  * **and the unfortunate attack on Farmer’s home**




	36. Chapter 36

Lizard Priest grunted as he used his good hand to hold back Half-Demon Thief who squirmed as she tried to break free to lunge for the Light Wizard before her.

“Damn you and your magic! You’re the one responsible for all of this!” Half-Demon Thief continued to struggle, making sure not to cut Lizard Priest as she tried to break free. “Let me go!”

“Calm yourself Young Demoness. If you continue to act this way, it will be most problematic for our hosts.” Lizard Priest smiled as he watched the young girl struggle then looked toward the elf. “Not since your little argument with the dog-faced padfoot have I been forced to intervene.”

“That was a long time ago! Can’t believe you’d bring up such an embarrassing memory.” High Elf Archer snorted as she crossed her arms and turned her head to the side, mostly to hide her blushing face.

Priestess, at first concerned with seeing this wizard again, could not help but smile as she saw her comrades act more like how she remembered. Light Wizard had his staff ready to defend himself as he warily watched the group of four, unsure why they were blaming him or for what reason. The other four watched this unfold, they themselves confused by the antics of these adventurers and their reason for wanting to attack the human wizard.

“Enough of this!” The King was starting to grow impatient of this silliness. “Get your party member under control or I’ll have you all thrown in the dungeon.”

The party of four was quick to settle themselves, Lizard Priest releasing the now calm Half-Demon Thief.

“My apologies, I shall explain why we were so…enthusiastic upon seeing this man.” Priestess bowed her head toward the king then allowed her eyes to gaze over the wizard.

The wizard’s attire was completely different from what they had seen, as was his demeanor, but his face was exactly the same, one she would not forget.

“On a quest to rescue some abducted women, my comrade and I stumbled upon a ceremony led by this man.”

“That is a complete lie your majesty! I have never seen these women before let alone aided any bandits in abducting women!” Light Wizard turned toward the king, a look of anger across his face as he heard them accuse him.

“Let them finish!” The king was calm in his response.

“Your Majesty!”

“I wish to hear what they have to say before I start passing any judgment. I would ask that you be patient, they seem to believe you guilty of something, so I would like to know of what and why.”

Light Wizard growled in frustration, he did not like being accused of crimes he did not commit, but knew he was innocent and surely the king would realize these girls were trying to mislead him.

“As you wish your majesty.”

“Please continue.”

“We do not know the reasoning behind the ceremony, but it would seem that a blood sacrifice was needed to open a gate, not just between two places but between two different times.” Priestess looked toward the wizard once again and noticed a slight look of surprise upon his face. “My comrade and I unintentionally entered the gate while trying to rescue the captive and were transported to a village, thought we did not know it at the time, we had been sent back in time and by saving this village from a goblin attack, we somehow affected the time.”

“You say you were the ones who altered the past? So all these unfortunate events are due to your meddling in the past?” The king frowned as he looked toward the two young girls.

“We had no intention of deliberately altering the future! The only reason we ended up in the past was because this human was trying to open the gate himself, for what reason we don’t know.” Half-Demon Thief was quick to defend herself and Priestess, while trying her best to refraining from acting irrationally.

“Is that so?” The king remained neutral in his comment then looked back toward the wizard to hear his reply. “What have you to say?”

“My king, I have never engaged in such a ceremony before. All I’ve done since my days as an adventurer was teach at the school of magic…yet I know of what spell they are talking about.” Light Wizard pondered to himself as how these girls had come to know of this spell.

“Well?” The King turned toward Sword Maiden and her attendant to determine what truth there was to these statements.

“My king…both parties are telling the truth. The person they saw was indeed the wizard here, but his claim to innocence is also true.” The attendant was at a loss for how both statements, though contradictory, could be true.

The King and Sword Maiden were also shocked to hear this, they had both assumed that either group was possibly lying, Arc Mage on the other hand was delighted with this turn of events.

“Two different accounts but both are true, how interesting. This would definitely hint at the possibility of there being multiple realities…the gods and their games as it were.” Arc Mage could only smile as her theories were seeming to be true after all.

“Then how has history changed so much from what you known? How did saving one village cause so much turmoil?” Sword Maiden was confused how a heroic action could lead to the forces of chaos running rampant.

“The village we saved was not meant to be saved, our interacting must have changed the gods design.” Priestess could only theorize how their interactions affected time so.

“Then this village, did you save some kind of demon worshipper?” The King was curious just who they had saved in that village that affected time.

“He is no Demon Lord Worshipper, but a future adventurer. The person we saved was to have endured a goblin attack.” Half-Demon Thief corrected.

“Go…goblins.” Sword Maiden gripped her staff tightly as she involuntarily shock.

“He is known as Goblin Slayer, one who hunts the little devils. He has devoted his life to their extermination, and was the one responsible for saving the future Hero’s village from the goblins, in turn inspiring her to become an adventurer herself.” Priestess thought about what she saying and about the tragedy he was supposed to have endured. “By saving him from that attack, he does not become the adventurer he was meant to be.”

“So…he isn’t even a hero, but a mere adventurer who will aid in shaping the future.” The King remarked at the thought of such regular individual influencing so many and by doing nothing more than hunting goblins.

“Well now that we know about what changed, how does that help us? We can’t change time…can we?” Sword Maiden’s comment hung with an air of truth.

“If we were to repeat the same spell, we may yet go back and prevent our interference and may set things correctly.” Priestess comment but then thought back to how happy he had been with his family. “ _I have to find a way to preserve that happiness for him._ ”

“It is possible. In my library I have a magic tome that speaks of such dark and forbidden spells such as that one you speak of. It worries me though what my counterpart was thinking when he cast such a spell.” Human Wizard was silent as he thought over the possible reasons summon would want to go back and change history. “ _What…what would cause me to do something like that? I have no family to worry about, I don’t necessarily feel bad about my students being lost in battle, so what…no, don’t tell me it was an act of pettiness?_ ”

“So what must we do to recreate this spell?” The king had a light smile upon his face at the prospect of ending this battle with the Demon Lord and restoring peace. “What would you require from us?”

“Therein lies the problem, the site we appeared through was destroyed by demon lord worshippers. The only other spot that I know of is within the Lich Queen’s castle to north.” The Half-Demon Thief replied with a frown upon her face.

“The Lich Queen’s castle?” The King remarked with a frown as well.

“Our compatriots told us the same as well, what we would be requiring would be assistance on a grand scale.” Lizard Priest remarked as he thought back to what the two young women had suggested on the ride to Water Town.

“The Lich Queen’s castle is heavily fortified, with forces numbering in the thousands. We need a big enough army to keep her preoccupied while we get to the altar and recreate the spell.” High Elf Archer added.

The King, Sword Maiden and Arc Mage were silent as they looked toward one another as they heard this request. Their own army would have to number in the thousands, and trying to move it across the land with the dark gods more than likely aware of what they were planning, would be difficult enough on its own.

“We…cannot send forth so many troops to defeat the Lich Queen.” The king was stern in his reply.

The four adventurers were all shocked to hear this, how could the king turn down their request when they had a potential way of stopping the demon lord and bringing peace to the land.

“How can you say that!” High Elf Archer growled in anger as she looked at the king.

“Surely you must reconsider.” Lizard Priest too was confused by his decision.

“This task you have ahead of you, is there any guarantee that it will truly work?” Sword Maiden frowned as she looked toward the group.

Priestess and Half-Demon Thief wanted to answer, but even they had no definitive answer they could give him. What if this plan of theirs didn’t work? What if there was no way of changing this timeline? The two girls could only stare at the ground silently as they thought over just how naïve their plan was.

“I can’t risk the lives of thousands of men on a plan that may not work. I am truly sorry, but I cannot commit my men and those who side with us to such a haphazard plan.” The king turned and started to walk away, but paused for a moment, keeping his back to the adventurers. “I can however ensure the Demon Lord’s forces are too preoccupied to stop you.”

This comment caused everyone to look toward the king with wide eyes.

“The dark gods no doubt are aware of your plan and will do what they can to stop, our forces can hold his armies at the capital reducing the number of enemies your group will have to face.” The king smiled before continuing on his way to the council chambers. “I wish you the best of luck on your quest.”

The remaining individuals in the hall were stunned by his comments, but soon those looks of shock turned to smiles.

“I apologize that we will not be of more use to you on your quest, but we shall do our best to stop them from moving any further.” Sword Maiden smiled as she bowed her head toward the group.

“Oh please, there is no need for you to apologize, just knowing that you will be helping us in a different way is reassuring enough.” Priestess was slightly panicked when she saw Sword Maiden bow toward them.

“If your plan is successful, none of us will know it. An odd feeling when you think about it, yet interesting to say the least.” Arc Mage added with a smile.

“This plan won’t be going any further if we don’t find more allies to help us though.” High Elf Archer was concerned that everyone was celebrating far too early when there was still a large problem ahead of them.

Priestess knew that High Elf Archer was right, but also knew that with the forces of chaos spread all over the land, rounding up an army of elves, dwarves or humans would be an almost impossible task. Suddenly, a thought popped into her mind, an almost impossible and highly improbable thought, but there was an army nearby, especially if the timeline had been altered from what she remembered.

“But how to convince him?”

“I’m sorry, did you say something?” Sword Maiden asked as she struggled to hear the young priestess.

“Sorry, just a thinking aloud of a crazy idea that came to mind. There does exist an army, but how to get the leader to join us is another matter, perhaps even more difficult that reaching the Lich Queen’s castle.”

“Another army? Where? Who?” Half-Demon Thief was anxious to know.

“It would require us to seek out the help of the enemy, a past enemy for me.” Priestess sighed as she placed a hand over her stomach then looked back toward the Sword Maiden with a frown. “The army I’m thinking of is made up the worst kind of creature that you can imagine.”

“The worst…no, you couldn’t possibly mean…” Sword Maiden paled slightly as she thought about what the Priestess was suggesting, now not so sorry that she would not be assaulting the Lich Queen’s castle.

“Seven days travel from here is the town of Mountain Pass correct?”

“Yes…it was there.”

“Then the leader of the attack should still be there as well. I don’t much care for the idea of using goblins to fight for us, but he is the only human who can control them.” Priestess frowned as she too gripped her sounding staff tightly.

“You want to use an army of goblins? How would they fight for us? Who would command them?” Half-Demon Thief was not exactly sure where Priestess was going with this crazy idea.

“The Beast Master.”

“I shall find that tome that speaks of the time spell and research it. When you return, I shall accompany you to fix this mess in the timeline.” Light Wizard replied as he sternly looked toward the group of adventurers. “If…if I am truly responsible for this, then I shall make amends and rectify the mistakes.”

xxxx

Farmer wiped the sweat from his brow as the sun started to set and he moved the last of the cows into the barn. He looked back toward the house to see the smoke rising from the fireplace and stove, happy to know that dinner would soon be ready. He then turned toward his right to see the large black dire wolf casually walk over toward him, tail wagging happily.

“Alright boy, time to head in.”

Wolf gave a quick bark and followed Farmer up the hill toward the house, but soon stopped as his ears twitched at the unusual sound behind him. Wolf turned and looked out over the field, this then made Farmer stop and turn as well.

“What is it Wolf?” Farmer gripped his pitchfork tightly as he looked out over the field for anything.

Wolf took in the smells around him and immediately started to growl at the unfamiliar smells drawing near the house. Farmer quickly raised his pitchfork, ready to defend the moment he caught sight of the intruder, but his eyes saw nothing.

“Dinner’s ready, come and eat!” Cow Girl stepped out of the house to call out to her husband and Wolf.

“Stay in the house! Bar the door!” Farmer turned back toward the house to warn his wife, but this moment of distraction was all the enemy needed.

An object flew forward, and an instant after his warning, an arrow hit the left side of Farmer’s stomach. Farmer grunted and he took hold of the arrow and as he looked up saw more than a dozen robed men charging forward with knives in hand toward the house, before them was one of the robed men armed with a bow and arrow. Cow Girl screamed as she wanted to run toward her husband, but suddenly felt something grab her leg tightly, she looked down to see the worried expression on her daughter’s face.

“Stay back! Get in the house now!” Farmer grunted as he tore out the arrow from his stomach.

The archer took aim and fired once again, this time the arrow hitting Farmer in the right side of his chest. Farmer grunted as he took a step back but steadied himself as he then charged forward and hurled his pitchfork toward the archer. The archer was in shock as the tool hit him in the chest, easily piercing his body before he collapsed to the floor.

“Wolf, go to the house! Protect them!” Farmer grunted through the pain as he rushed as fast as he could toward his shed to gather his weapons.

Wolf barked as he turned and ran back toward the house, Cow Girl followed her husband’s instructions and quickly shut the door and barred it as she moved her daughter back away and armed herself with a knife. Farmer had nearly reached his shed when a robed man rushed forward and tackled him to the ground, he yelled as he plunged his knife into Farmer’s stomach. Farmer cough as blood now stained his mouth as he before punching the robed man across the jaw. As the robed man fell, Farmer then took the knife still stuck in his stomach and tore it free before stabbing the robed man in the throat. The pain was overwhelming, and before he could get up he was struck across the head by another robed man wielding a club. Farmer hit the ground where the robed man struck him on the head again and again and again before rushing to join the others.

Wolf snapped at the men as they drew closer, keeping his back toward the house before charging toward the nearest man. He sank his teeth into the robed man’s neck and began to shake violently from side to side, but while this was happening other men rushed forward with knives in hand and proceeded to stab the dire wolf repeatedly.

“Don’t you worry, I won’t let them hurt you!” Cow Girl hugged her daughter tightly as she heard the robed men break windows and bang repeatedly upon the door.

“Where…where’s daddy?”

“He’s okay honey? He’ll be here soon!”

The robed men continued to shout and hit the door in an effort to break it, but soon stopped as the demon priest drew near and looked over his followers.

“Master, there are still two left in the house, but the door is barred.”

Demon priest looked over the house, the wood structure and the thatched roof that covered it and smiled.

“Burn it.”

All was silent for a few moments as Cow Girl continued to hold her daughter tightly when she started to smell something. She looked up and could see the flames spreading as they consumed the roof above them then saw smoke coming from the other rooms, in a few short minutes the kitchen would be choked with it.

“Mommy I’m scared! It’s so hot in here!” The young daughter cried she tightened her grip around her mother.

“I…I know sweetheart. You…you just hold onto me, it will be over soon.” Cow Girl dropped her knife and cried as she held her daughter, close the flames dancing around them.

Farmer grunted as he felt something touching him, he slowly opened his eyes to see Wolf licking the side of his head.

“W…Wolf.” His response was weak, the pain throbbing through his body.

Slowly he turned himself over and pushed himself up to his hands and knees, he grunted as he paused to look back toward Wolf, only for his eyes to open wide. Wolf whined as he looked toward Farmer, various knives sticking out of his body.

“Wolf.” Farmer questioned as he reached out to touch his injured dire wolf only to have the massive beast fall over. “No. Come on boy, you need to get up!”

Farmer pushed on Wolf’s side, taking care not to touch any of his injuries as he struggled to wake up the dire wolf. After a few moments, Farmer stopped with pushing and gently went about petting his beloved animal atop it head.

“I’m…I’m sorry boy.” Farmer, tears running down his face looked upward to see the robed men chanting as they surrounded his house, but now his house was ablaze. “No…my family…”

Farmer clenched his fist before he slowly stood despite the pain and walked toward the shed. As he passed the barn he found all the animals dead inside, but right now that didn’t matter to him. He gave the door a swift kick, inside were the various weapons he kept from his days as an adventurer, but at that moment all that mattered to him was his sword and dagger.

“My loyal followers, the blood we spill here tonight brings joy to our master! Let this act show those who oppose…”

Before the demon priest could finish a blade flew forward, piercing his throat, the demon priest gargled on his own blood holding his injured neck to the shock of his robed followers. As the demon priest fell over, the robed men turned around to see the injured farmer standing there with sword in hand, his red eyes ablaze in the night.

“You…you are no better than the goblins who tried to attack my village. Just like the vile monsters you are, I will slay every last one of you!”

The robed men charged forward to attack, though they outnumbered the injured man, this was a fight they could not win. After a few minutes, the men lay dead, the ground soaked in blood, as Farmer dropped his sword and rushed toward the house and proceeded to smash his shoulder into the door. He repeated the motion twice more, before it finally gave in and as he looked around, there in the kitchen he saw them. They lay motionless, his wife covering his daughter, their bodies blacked from the smoke. He quickly moved and picked up their bodies throwing them over each shoulder before running back outside. Once outside he gently laid each body down on the grass, far away from the carnage, before dropping to his hands and knees. One look at both of them told him everything he needed to know…he was too late, in the end he couldn’t save any of them.

“Why! Why do they have to be taken?” Hot tears ran down his face as he glared up at the sky. “Damn you! Why must you take them from me!”

Up above, two gods watched all of this with saddened expressions. Illusion found she was not able to look at the game and turned her head away from it. Earth Mother covered her mouth, she was on the verge of crying as she reached out toward the board game, then stopped herself, what could she do at this point? The only thing that could help was the plan the Priestess and Half-Demon Thief had come up with.

xxxx

That morning, Elder Sister rode up to Frontier Town in her wagon, she was running late to the school and did not get the chance to stop by and see her brother and his family. A smile crossed her face as she saw Guild Girl outside the guild hall looking her way.

“Good morning.” She pulled back on the reigns to stop the wagon.

“Oh hello, on your way to the school?” Guild Girl smiled though she seemed to be looking for someone else.

“Yes, running a bit late unfortunately, haven’t had a chance to see my brother yet, did he already stop by with his deliveries?”

“That’s the thing, he and his family haven’t arrived yet. We thought they have been here quite some time ago, but nothing.”

“That’s…that’s not like him.” Elder Sister suddenly frowned as a sense of worry washed over her.

Spearman, Heavy Warrior and Female Knight were about to enter the guild hall when Female Knight saw something that caught her attention.

“Hey, what’s that?” Female Knight pointed at something off in the distance.

Everyone turned to look in the direction she was pointing and saw dark plumes of smoke in the distance. The initial thought from the others was perhaps a fire in the forest, but for Elder Sister she quickly realized that the smoke was in the same direction as her brother’s house.

“That’s…that’s coming from where he lives.” Elder Sister was now panicked as the worst possible scenarios flashed through her mind.

“Your brother?” Guild Girl too had a worried expression on her face as she wondered if her friends were alright.

“I need to get back to the house.” Elder Sister pulled back on the reigns to get the horse to back up to where she could ride out more easily.

“Just a moment, we’ll go with you. Not sure what we’ll find out there.” Spearman replied, though his friend had retired far too young, he had respect for the man who raised a fine family.

The three adventurers and Guild Girl piled into the small wagon and rode off towards his farm, determined to help in every way they could. It was a tense and bumpy ride down to the farm, but in a short amount of time they had finally reached the source of the smoke. To their shock and horror, they found the house and barn burned to the ground, now just smoldering piles of rubble. There he sat on the remains of the stairs that would have led to the porch of the house, close beside him were more than a dozen severed heads planted upon wooden stakes, their bodies were further off in the distance still burning. He turned toward the group as they dismounted the wagon, his eyes cold and emotionless, before staring back out towards the field.

“Are…are you alright?” Elder Sister slowly approached him, not sure of his current state of being.

“I’ll live.” His response was cold, not even the slightest hint of inflection in his voice.

Tears started to form in her eyes as she wasn’t even sure how to help him. The adventurers looked toward the severed heads, nearly all of them were human save one demon head in the center of the group.

“Who…who were these people?” Female Knight asked as she looked back toward the man she knew as Farmer.

“Don’t know. They attacked the farm last night.”

“And…your family?” Guild Girl cautiously approached him as she looked around the ruins of the farm.

“There.” He pointed straight ahead.

Everyone looked forward toward the field as saw them, three large dirt mounds side by side, behind the mounds were piles of stones to act as grave markers.

“No.” Guild Girl covered her mouth as tears ran down her face. “ _That poor mother and child._ ”

“Wolf too?” Elder Sister asked as she noticed the third dirt mound.

Farmer said nothing as he stared out at the dirt mounds for a few moments more before he finally stood.

“You’re hurt, let’s get you…”

“The blood has stopped flowing already, it won’t be a problem anymore.” He stepped off the porch, grunting from the pain and walked down the road sword hanging from his belt.

“Where are you going?” Spearman asked as he watched him walk down the road.

“To town…need to get some new armor…and a helmet.” He walked past his sister and Guild Girl, continuing down the dirt road. “Need to reregister with the guild…I have a lot of work ahead of me.”

“What work?” Heavy Warrior was confused by his comment.

“These minions of the Demon Lord…they need to be slain…and I intend to kill every last one I meet.”

xxxx

For seven days, Priestess and her party rode by wagon to reach Mountain Pass, or rather what remained of it. The town had all but been completely destroyed, not a single person could be seen in the town or on the ruined farms they passed by. For Priestess it was almost too much to bear, far worse than what she remembered, and it also meant to young adventurers she met here were more than likely lost under the Beast Master’s attacks.

“Do you truly think this plan will work?” Lizard Priest turned toward Priestess with a concerned expression across his face.

“I…I don’t know, but all we can do is try. That is why we made sure to arrive by daylight, goblins are usually asleep during the day, so that should give us some advantage.” Priestess replied with a weak smile.

“Tell me again about this Beast Master.” High Elf Archer looked toward Priestess.

“He and his partner, had lost everything to the goblins, they blamed others for constantly underestimating the goblin threat, so they would take the one creature most would not consider a threat and turn them into a force to be reckoned with.” Priestess remembered her conversation with Fallen Magician that morning before the attack and how close a parallel their lives could have been. “He ended up being defeated by our party, due the fact that Goblin Slayer could think like him and had requested assistance from the Sword Maiden.”

“And you think this man well help us fight the Lich Queen’s forces?” Half-Demon Thief was skeptical that they would be able to convince him.

“Again, I’m not sure. Let us hope that the Gods are with us.”

The wagon provided by the Sword Maiden rode up toward the ruined Earth Mother temple, Priestess and her party disembarked, telling the driver to be prepared to run if things turned for the worse. The group of adventurers walked toward the entrance, not able to see the eyes that were watching them, but could feel their presence.

“O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, by the power of the land grant safety to we who are weak…Protection!” Priestess would not take any chances as she knew how well trained these two were. “Beast Master, we’ve come to speak with you.”

There was silence as the group waited for a reply, behind Priestess the other three adventurers readied their weapons to attack if need be.

“Disintegrate!”

A bolt of light exploded from the entrance and headed directly for the protection spell, the moment it hit there was an explosion that knocked the group of four to the ground. In the chaos of the attack, a large figure rushed forward and stood before the group snarling as they tried to rise. The group froze as they looked up to see, not a dire wolf, but a mangy looking warg snarling at them.

“If you value your lives, you will not move.”

The group then looked back toward the entrance to see a silver-haired man in dirty brown leather armor and a woman with long bluish hair and a black gown over her ample figure emerge from the temple. The man held a sword in his left hand and a black whip in his right while the woman pointed her magic rod at the group.

“Beast Master and Fallen Magician.” Priestess trembled slightly as she looked back at these figures, this time she would not have Goblin Slayer there by her side.

“I see that our reputation proceeds us. Now, would you care to explain why you so foolishly sought my wife and I out? Take care with your answer, Scar has not had a chance to eat yet.”

“We’ve come to request your army to help us.” Priestess was direct with her request.

“I don’t know if asking him that right away was the best of ideas.” Half-Demon Thief looked at her friend as if she was crazy.

“My help?” Beast Master was slightly caught off guard by this comment. “Why should I help you?”

“We need to change to change events in the past to save the future.”

Beast Master and Fallen Magician were confused by this, both had puzzled looks on their faces as they looked back at the group of four.

“You’re not making any sense. If this is some kind of trick it won’t work on us.” Fallen Magician’s eyes narrowed as she looked back at the group.

“Well said my dear.” Beast Master smiled as he looked at his wife, but that quickly changed to a frown as he looked back at the group of adventurers. “You’d best explain what you mean before I kill you.”

“In…in our time you were defeated before you could rightfully punish the people of Mountain Pass. We need your help to fix that!” Priestess did her best to come up with some kind of excuse to convince him.

Beast Master looked toward the young girl carefully, studying her body posture and watched her eyes before smiling.

“You’re not used to lying, are you? Had it been the young demon there I might have believed her. Now, what is the real reason you’re here.”

“I’m sorry. The truth is we need your help, we request your army of goblins to help us get through the Lich Queen’s forces.”

“The Lich Queen…the one commanding the army of the dead to the far north?” Fallen Magician was stunned by this request.

“That’s correct. I and the Thief are from a different timeline, due to our interference with a wizard’s spell, much of what we knew has changed, primarily the Demon Lord has been successfully revived and the Lich Queen’s forces roam unchallenged.”

“And I’ve been defeated too, correct? I could sense that your comment about me losing had some ring of truth to it.” Beast Master was rather neutral in his response.

“…yes.” Priestess was hesitant to answer, but as he said she could not lie.

Beast Master was silent as he looked over the group, Fallen Magician looked toward her husband wondering what he would do knowing he had lost in a different timeline, and this group wanted him to go back fix that.

“Scar…heel.” Beast Master smiled as he sheathed his sword and placed his whip along the right side of his belt. “Come with me inside, tell me what you know.”

**Author’s Note: I’m not going to lie, this was a bit of a hard chapter to write. I felt really bad writing the part about the attack on Farmer’s family, but we are at least moving closer to getting an army to fight against the Lich Queen. I know I’ve been a bit slow with the updates, but I haven’t given up on this story, I’m going to get through this darker timeline and back to what we are used to. The next chapter will focus on preparing for the assault on the Lich Queen’s castle and a important discussion between Elder Sister, Priestess and Half-Demon Thief.**


	37. Chapter 37

“You claim I lost my battle in your timeline, what proof do you have?” Beast Master, followed by his wife, led the group of four into the ruined temple with Scar bringing up the rear.

“Your wife told me how her party was attacked by goblins, their archer was killed and their leader ran to save himself while she was capture. It was one day until you came and saved her.” Priestess replied as she followed behind the two twisted individuals.

Even as they walked, both turned toward Priestess, shocked that she knew this much about Fallen Magician, despite having never met before today.

“Perhaps there is some truth to your claim to be from a different time, but now that I have you within my lair tell me why I shouldn’t kill you now?”

Deep within the ruined temple, the four surrounded adventures could now see various goblins emerge from the room cackling as they brandished their weapons. The four readied themselves for the attack, though they knew there wouldn’t be much time for them to put up much of a fight against this horde. Priestess looked around nervously and then caught sight of something unexpected, behind the Beast Master and Fallen Magician was a rather tall goblin draped in what looked like a red cape, in his hand was an elegant sword that shimmered even in the darkness.

“That…that sword. The Goblin Paladin.”

“Oh you know this one, I take it he’s one you encountered your time correct?” Beast Master smiled as he raised his left hand the ring on his gloved hand glowing as he looked toward the goblin. “This one was foolish enough to try and attack me some time ago, he and his horde now serve a new master.”

“When you faced my love, how large a force did he have to assault the town?” Fallen Magician was curious to know how her husband could have failed after such careful planning.

“The force he brought to bear was several hundred.”

“Several hundred? How pathetic, my horde is nearly four thousand strong!” Beast Master chuckled sinisterly as he looked over his army of goblins then back to the adventurers. “Numbers alone could not have been the only thing that hindered my other. There must have been something else that stopped the assault, so what was it?”

“You had to deal with someone who could think like you…Goblin Slayer.” Priestess had a stern look about her face as she looked toward Beast Master, the same she had when facing the Goblin Lord.

“Goblin Slayer?” Beast Master had a puzzled look on his face as he said the name out loud.

“He is an adventurer who, like you both, had lost everything to the goblins, so he devoted himself to hunting them down.” Priestess could not help but smile as she thought back to Goblin Slayer and all he had done to help others. “He and his party made preparations for your attack and successfully repelled your army, not to mention our party’s dire wolf was more than capable of fighting your warg.”

“A dire wolf?” Beast Master was certainly surprised by all of this.

“That’s correct.”

“A man who lost everything to the goblins, who thinks like me, an even has a dire wolf at his side…I would have enjoyed meeting someone like that.” Beast Master smirked as he tried to imagine what the person looked liked. “ _If I had someone like that under my tutelage, I could rest easy knowing there would be someone to continue on my grudge._ ”

“Goblin Slayer…I do believe I’ve heard of some sort of adventurer with that title, but I thought they were female.” Fallen Magician remarked with a slight tilt of her head.

“There is one who uses that name, but it is not the same Goblin Slayer we knew in our time, if that person were here your army would have fallen long ago.” Half-Demon Thief was quick to defend Goblin Slayer, at least the one she knew.

Beast Master and Fallen Magician frowned as they looked back at this group of four, each ready to fight, even if it was a losing battle.

“So let me see if I have all of this correct? You wish for me and my army to help you assault the Lich Queen’s castle so you can change this time back to the one you knew…one in which I have lost?” Beast Master crossed his arms as he looked at the group with a scowl across his face.

Priestess and Half-Demon Thief then looked toward one another, as he said all of that, they themselves had to doubt how they could get him to agree to something so outrageous. Beast Master soon changed his scowl into a smirk then began to chuckle as it built to a hearty laugh.

“How can I refuse such a request? Follow me and we can see a map of the countryside and I can better determine how long it will take to move the army.”

The group of adventurers were stunned by his response as was his wife who looked at him as though he had lost his mind.

“My love why?”

“The attacks were far too simple, without any challenge our revenge did not carry the same level of satisfaction it should have. The fact that in their time there was one man who made the difference between our success here as compared to there, brings a smile to my face.” Beast Master smiled as he looked toward his wife with warm eyes. “I don’t expect you to follow me on this ludicrous quest. There is a likely chance that I won’t be coming back from this, even if we succeed.”

“I’ve followed you all this time with no complaints…why start now. I’d follow you to hell itself if you asked my love, so I am with you on this venture.” Fallen Magician moved toward her husband to embrace him.

Priestess and the others followed the Beast Master and Fallen Magician to what used to be a records room in the temple, there the group looked over the countryside, Half-Demon Thief pointing out where the Lich Queen’s castle would be.

“To move the army this large that far will take some time, a month’s time at the minimum. What is the opposition like?”

“Most of her army is made up reanimated undead, I know the smaller goblins won’t be able to go for the heads immediately, but if they go for the legs they can then dismember the bodies from there. The other part of her army is made of skeletal warriors, they will be the most difficult due to them retaining their combat experience.”

“With reanimated dead, their bite can infect other’s no?” Fallen Magician was concerned with the goblins being infected and making the battle that much more difficult.

“That is correct, any infected will need to be killed immediately.”

“Not to worry, with this ring and the slave enchantment, these goblins will follow my instruction to their last breath. These goblins are not the cowards their brothers are…I won’t let them.” Beast Master smirked as his ring glowed in the dimly lit room.

“We will gather what forces we can and then meet you in the woods here in a month’s time.” Priestess pointed on the map to the wood bordering the Lich Queen’s castle. “How will you move your army, I thought goblins did not move during the day?”

“They will move where I tell them and when I tell them. They will be shrouded in cloaks to hide their identities from others, and we will stick to the forests as we move, if we’re lucky we’ll be able to pick up some more goblin ‘volunteers’ as it were.” Beast Master chuckled to himself then looked back at the group with a stern expression. “Listen carefully, I don’t plan to wait for you all forever, I will give you one extra day past the expected meeting…if you are not there, my forces will move back and you will be on your own. Understood?”

The party members all nodded their heads, they knew what was at stake and were willing to do whatever was necessary to reach that goal. Beast Master and Fallen Magician smiled as they shook the hands of the brave warriors before sending them off back to Water Town. As Beast Master saw the group take off in their wagon, he himself could not fully understand why he was so eager to help this group. Maybe it was the fact that there existed someone like him? Maybe it was the intrigue of a different timeline where things were perhaps more peaceful than now? All he knew was he would need to get his army moving soon if he was to meet the challenge of the coming battle with the Lich Queen.

Upon reaching Water Town, Priestess and her party explained to Sword Maiden what had transpired with Beast Master and his willingness to help them.

“And you trust this man and his army of…goblins?” Sword Maiden once again found herself tightening her grip around her sword and scales.

“I do. Even if he does not show up, my party and I will still try to enter the Lich Queen’s castle to cast this spell and fix what has been broken.” Priestess, though unsure herself, did her best to show a strong face in front of Sword Maiden.

“I will tell the King and we can make plans to engage the Demon Lord at the capital. How long will it take you to reach the castle?”

“We’re leaving the moment were done here to meet up with the others in Frontier Town, from there we will head to the castle. When we left some seven days ago, the Beast Master told us his army would need roughly a month’s time to move that far.”

“Then we will need to depart as soon as possible ourselves. I wish you luck in your quest, go and may the gods watch over you all.” Sword Maiden bowed her head toward the party before turning and walk back to meet with the King in the council chambers.

As the Sword Maiden departed, Light Wizard rushed forward to meet the party, with a large black tome in hand.

“Thank goodness I found you. Before you go, I have a request to ask of you?”

“What is it?” Half-Demon Thief frowned as she looked over this man, even if he was not exactly the same as they one they knew, she was not ready to fully trust him.

“I wish to accompany you. When the time comes, you will need me to help with the casting of the spell.”

“But why come with us, couldn’t you send someone else and you could help the King and Sword Maiden plan for the attack on the capital?” High Elf Archer was curious as to his reasoning.

“I’ll explain on the way, if time is truly of the essence, then we must depart as soon as possible.”

The group quickly regrouped in the wagon provided to them by Sword Maiden, this time with Light Wizard on board, and made their way back to Frontier Town.

“Now as I promised, I’ll explain why I felt the need to accompany you.” Light Wizard sighed as he thought about his decision but would stick with it. “If I truly am in some way responsible, I want to make amends.”

“You mentioned that before, but what do you mean? How are you responsible in this timeline?” Lizard Priest pondered as he stroked the bottom of his chin.

“I fear that it is my own selfish desire that may have led my other self to even attempt this spell.”

“What do you mean selfish desires?” Priestess was now curious what this version of the wizard meant.

“It’s been more than ten years now since I was an adventurer. When I graduated from the academy, I was a superb spell caster…at a mere rank of porcelain I could cast up to five spells before I hit my limit.” Light Wizard could not help but smile as he recalled his glory days. “By the time I had reached the rank of silver, I had gotten to a point where I no longer needed the limitation on my spell casting. I thought for sure there would be great things ahead of me.”

“I take it that was not the case.” Half-Demon Thief could sense this sense of bravado would not go where he was hoping.

“Quite correct. I thought for sure the gods would guide me to fight the Demon Lord, me with all my magic capabilities would be the great hero to save the world, only I wasn’t the hero. The Sword Maiden and her group were the ones to defeat the Demon Lord and reap the benefits, while I was left with nothing.”

“So you were jealous of the heroes?” High Elf Archer frowned as she looked at this human and heard his tale.

“Indeed, I was only sixteen when all of this came about. When my chance at fame was lost, I begrudgingly went back to the academy to teach, frustrated that all my teaching techniques were wasted on those I saw as less than worthy. When the Demon Lord was revived, I thought now would be my chance. I heard of so many of my old students falling to the forces of chaos, but that still did not affect me. It was only when I heard of the past heroes falling to the new Demon Lord Generals that I finally started to rethink what was happening.” Light Wizard sighed as he looked over at the black tome then back to the adventurers. “I fear that my jealousy over being slided so many times may have caused me to do something so insane that I would not even consider what harm it would do to others so long as I got what I wanted.”

“So now you wish to fix that?” Priestess could sympathize with how he wanted to fix what had been ruined.

“Yes. It’s funny, the one chance that I get to finally be a hero and if successful, no one will know about it…not even me.” Light Wizard sighed as he thought about what he was going to do and then smiled. “And I am fine with that. Right now, we need to find a way to restore this world to the more peaceful one you knew. I’ll continue to research the spell my other self must have used, this way when the moment arises we can recreate it.”

“Thank you for all your help.” Priestess smiled as she bowed her head toward him.

“Don’t thank me yet, not until we’ve sent you both back to your time.”

xxxx

After several days on the road, the group of five finally arrived back at Frontier Town. The party quickly disembarked and entered the guild hall, here they would rest up and prepare for the next time of travel, but upon entering the guild hall, there they found him. A figure in leather armor, his armor plating rather dark almost black, on his head was a helmet with twin horns. This figure sat on the bench with arms crossed, with a slight turn of his head he looked over toward the group and within the darkness of his helmet the group could see the glow of his red eyes.

“My word.” Lizard Priest was surprised by this figure, such malice emanating off him, one might think it was a demon straight from hell.

For Priestess and Half-Demon Thief, even if the armor looked different, they could instantly tell that it was the man they knew, it was Farmer in the armor, or rather it was now…

“Gob…Goblin Slayer?” Priestess found her breathing quickened as she both was happy to see him in his armor but also concerned why he was wearing it.

“No.”

The figure in the black armor turned his head away and went back to looking straight ahead, what he was looking at the others could not have guessed. Priestess and Half-Demon Thief were immediately distressed as to what had caused such a drastic change in him, they then looked ahead to Guild Girl and quickly took notice of the expression on her face, she looked toward them with sad eyes then shook her head slightly. For the two young women, their eyes immediately opened wide and they quickly looked around the guild hall for any sign of his wife or daughter, but sadly could not find them.

“No…please tell me I’m mistaken.” Priestess asked in as quiet voice as she could.

“It was demon worshipers; they attacked the farm…I wasn’t fast enough.” The man within the armor said in a dispassionate voice.

The girls looked over the man the armor, worried about how he was handling the loss of his family, but before they could ask any further questions Goblin Slayer, the former Fighter, walked toward them with helmet removed.

“I too know what it is like to despair, but for me it was the torture of the goblins that led to me killing them. For him, it is what he perceives as his failure to save his loves ones.” Goblin Slayer sighed as she looked over at the armored man. “Though he recently reregistered with the guild he has gone on four quests in the time you all left, no rest between his quests.”

“What is he after?” Half-Demon Thief wondered what was driving this man as he already killed those responsible.

“Demons and the minions of the Demon Lord.” Goblin Slayer replied as she looked back toward Half-Demon Thief.

Half-Demon Thief was immediately worried at the sound of that, being demon, even half-demon, was not the best thing for her at this point. She looked back toward the Farmer and found him looking at her, the sight of his red eyes looking at her made her involuntarily shake.

“You needn’t worry. I know you are not a Demon Lord worshiper.” His response was cold and did little to reassure Half-Demon Thief. “As a farmer I could not save those close to me but as Demon Slayer…I will slaughter all that stand before me.”

Priestess found herself frustrated as she heard all of this, the death of so many friends, the Demon Lord and his forces running rampant across the land, and now the one thing she was trying to protect in this time was now gone.

“ _Why? Why?_ ” Priestess gripped her sounding staff so tightly is jingled.

“Priestess.” Half-Demon Thief looked toward her friend worried about how she as reacting to everything she had heard.

“I’m…I’m going to the temple for a bit. I’ll see you back in the room in a little while.” Priestess had her head down as she spoke before turning and walking out of the guild hall.

Half-Demon Thief wanted to stop her friend from leaving, but found she was unable to say anything.

“I take it that this was also something that did not happen in your time?” Light Wizard

“Nothing like this. Let us talk in private a bit.” Half-Demon Thief led Human Wizard to her room unaware the person further in the tavern watching them.

High Elf Archer and Lizard Priest exhausted from all the traveling moved into the tavern to get some food when they were approached by Spearman.

“Good to see you both back. It has been crazy around here, that poor bastard lost everything to the damn demon worshipers.” Spearman frowned as he looked over toward the man in the black armor. “Ever since we saw him, he been acting like that…cold, detached. I can’t blame him though; I’m still upset over what happened to her.”

“Then we may have a proposition for you and the rest of the guild.” High Elf Archer smiled as she thought about their plan.

“What proposition?” Spearman asked with an arched eyebrow.

“It’s a dangerous quest, very little chance of any of us coming back, but if we are successful, we may be able to restore all that was lost.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Spearman was confused by the elf’s cryptic response and that led to him being rather annoyed.

xxxx

Priestess had a solemn look about her face as she entered the Earth Mother’s Temple, though she had been here several times before in her time, now she felt like such an outsider as she walked about looking at everything that was both different and the same. The others in the temple were as kind as ever, greeting her and allowing her entry towards chapel where she could see the shrine to the Earth Mother. Alone in the chapel, Priestess closed her eyes and bowed her head as she made her prayer to the Earth Mother, hopeful that she would hear her.

“O Earth Mother, I find myself confused and scared of this world, even more so than the one I remember…please, guide me.”

“My little one…”

Priestess suddenly opened her eyes and she looked up saw to see a well-endowed woman in a green gown, appearing to be made of leaves, a wreath of flowers atop her head and her long blonde hair, around her was a bright glow that shined within the chapel.

“Earth Mother?”

“I heard your cry and I am here.” Earth Mother extended her arms inviting Priestess to embrace her, a warm smile on her face.

Priestess immediately wanted to rush forward and lament all that had happened, but stopped herself and took a step back. Earth Mother’s smile faded and a look of concern crossed her face as she lowered her arms.

“Earth Mother…why? Why has everything turned out this way? Was it truly wrong of Thief and I to save that village?” Priestess found herself looking upon her goddess with unsure eyes.

“No…or rather it is difficult. You and the young Thief were only doing what you felt was right?”

“But that meant I was to ignore all that I was taught that night? Your teachings told of caring for all individuals regardless of who they may be, prayer or not, yet we were to let that village die, just so the rest of the world may know some peace?”

“My little one…I…” Earth Mother found herself unsure of how to answer her, this one of her acolytes so devoted to her teachings.

“Is it really up to the whims of the gods to decide who should live and die? I have heard it said before that the world is like a board game to the gods, is that true for you as well Earth Mother? Are we, myself included, nothing more than game pieces for you to toy with as you please?” Priestess found herself growing angry and frustrated as she asked these questions.

“That…no…we simply allow the dice to fall. We do not directly affect the game.” Earth Mother was hopeful her explanation would be enough.

“So were really are nothing but pawns for you all! Our victories and defeats…our lives are nothing but a game to you all?” Priestess’ eyes grew wide as she heard this, tears of frustration ran down her cheeks as she found herself wanting to yell at Earth Mother. “That means his family’s fate…his happiness was just another part of the game too?”

“That…no. What happened that night…we…I…” Earth Mother found she was not able to come up with an actual answer.

“No, I’ll hear no more.” Priestess turned her back toward Earth Mother, dropping her sounding staff as she covered her ears, tears of frustration still running down her face.

“Little one.” Earth Mother face was one of shock as she reached out toward Priestess.

Priestess sniffled as she wiped her eyes before reaching down to retrieve her sounding staff, still keeping her back toward Earth Mother.

“Earth Mother…I am grateful for all that you have done for me, but…I now find myself questioning my teachings. I shall continue to help those who are in need, and this time along with its people are the ones in most need. I shall do this for him and what he has lost.” Priestess still wanting to cry as she felt she was turning back on everything that had been taught to her, but knew she had to stand firm in what she knew to be right.

Earth Mother’s eyes were wide, she brought her hand to her chest as though it would help the pain she was feeling in her chest. With a heavy sigh, Earth Mother looked down toward the floor as a single tear hit it.

“I understand my little one…I wish you luck on the journey ahead of you.”

Priestess turned around and found the Earth Mother was gone, she had lingering regret for what she had said, but now was not the time for that. Priestess turned back and began to slowly walk back toward the chapel doorway, she was tired, but needed to speak with Thief about their plans.

xxxx

“You look terrible, what happened?” Half-Demon Thief was immediately concerned when Priestess came back into the room.

“Yes, I…I just needed to vent my frustrations. We should see about gathering supplies tomorrow before we depart. Where is the Wizard?” Priestess still had a tired look about her face as she looked around the room.

“He’s already procured a room; said he’s still going to go through his tome for the specifics of the spell.” Thief replied as she thought about what they would need to get and how they would try to convince others to join them before departing.

There was a sudden knock on their door, Priestess stood and walked toward the door expecting to find Light Wizard there but instead found Elder Sister standing there with a look of concern on her face. Priestess and Half-Demon Thief were taken aback by her sudden presence, she nodded toward them before entering the room.

“I would like to speak with both of you.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, please, sit wherever you wish.” Priestess quite nervous bowed her head and quickly moved to the bed and sat beside Half-Demon Thief.

Elder Sister moved to the opposite bed and gracefully sat down as she looked toward both young women. The two you girls sat nervously as the Elder Sister watched them for a few silent moments, her expression neither mad nor sad but one that was unsure.

“I am deeply concerned for my brother, I’ve tried to speak with him but he’s…shut himself off.”

“We are deeply sorry to hear about what happened.” Priestess bowed her head towards Elder Sister.

“Yes, it was…terrible that should have happened to him.”

“Indeed. That time you came to our village…that was not the first time you met my brother was it?” Elder Sister tone was still as gentle and calming as ever.

“N, no.” Priestess replied as she looked toward the ground.

“How exactly do you know my brother?”

“In…in our time he is the leader of our party. At the Guild he is known by…Goblin Slayer.” Half-Demon Thief was like Priestess, unable to look his sister directly.

“Then what I heard from the elf is true, you both are not from this time?” Elder Sister was slightly surprised to hear all of this. “You say he is known as Goblin Slayer, like the young girl down there?”

“That’s correct. He has dedicated himself to their destruction.” Priestess nodded.

“He is Goblin Slayer. Then…you weren’t meant to save our village then, were you? I was not meant to survive.” Elder Sister looked toward the two with a stern expression.

“No…he hid while the goblins destroyed the village, he would comment that he saw everything they did from start to finish. That failure to save you, is what made him who he is.” Priestess sighed.

“Then…does that mean the brother I’m seeing now is who he becomes in your time? Does that mean he was always meant to be this person?” Elder Sister looked toward these girls with wide eyes.

“I…I don’t know, but he is not alone in that time.” Priestess eyes wandered as she thought about all she and her party had been through.

“Although he is a bit cold in his demeanor, he has his party to watch over him on his quests, and on the farm, he lives with his friend and her uncle.” Half-Demon Thief smiled then a thought came into her head as she looked back toward Elder Sister. “He has Wolf and Snow with him as well.”

“Snow?” Elder Sister tilted her head to the side.

“A large, white female dire wolf.” Priestess smiled as she too thought about the new dire wolf that joined them.

“He still has Wolf and now a second dire wolf.” Elder Sister too smiled as she pictured her brother with the two dire wolves. “I am relieved to know that to know that he does not have to shoulder this burden alone, that he has many to watch over him.”

“He has been watching over and protecting us all since we started adventuring with him. He saved me on my first adventure when everyone else was lost and I was left alone.”

“He too was kind enough to protect me from the Lich Queen, accepting me despite being part demon.”

Elder Sister smiled as she looked toward the two young girls, at first unsure of what she would learn when talking to them, but now happy she had this opportunity.

“Even though I know that I did not survive in your time, I am happy to know that he will never be alone. I had heard from the elf that you would both be looking to undertake a quest that might restore all that you had lost, and know that you have my blessing that you are successful.”

“Thank you, but…that would mean…”

“I appreciate your concern young priestess, but if my death is needed so that he can have some semblance of a life, then who am I to try and stand in your way.” Elder Sister stood and walked toward the young woman taking their hands in hers and bowing toward them. “Please be safe on your journey, but before you depart, I only ask that you see me.”

“Why is that?” Half-Demon Thief was curious about this.

“There is something I wish to give you all, but I must prepare it first. I shall let you all sleep now, you must be tired from all the traveling you’ve done…and you still have a long way to go before you reach your destination.” Elder Sister once again bowed her head toward the young girls before exiting the room.

The two girls were unaware of all the conversations that were going on down below in the tavern, but when the morning came, they would soon discover all that had transpired.

The next day, both Priestess and Half-Demon Thief exited their room and proceeded down the stairs only to stop and see Spearman standing at the base with his weapon leaning against his shoulder. One look to the side and the girls could see several other adventurers all sitting at the tables, including High Elf Archer and Lizard Priest, all looking up toward them.

“Uh…good morning.” Priestess nervously smiled as she looked back toward Spearman.

“Now is not the time for pleasantries, there is something important to discuss.” Spearman narrowed his gaze as he looked toward the girls. “We spoke with the elf and lizardman last night and discovered that you two had some kind of hand in the way this world came out.”

The two girls were shocked by the statement and as they looked around found both Goblin Slayer and Demon Slayer staring at them, their eyes seeming to glow within the darkness of their helmets.

“That…that is correct.” Priestess sighed as she looked toward the ground.

“We had no idea that by saving one village, so much would change for this world. We had no intention of directly changing the world.” Half-Demon Thief grew nervous as she looked around the room.

“I also hear that you may have found a way to fix this. You’re going after the Lich Queen to the north yes?”

“That…that is correct. There is an artifact in her castle that may help us fix this.” Priestess found her courage as she looked back toward Spearman.

“You’re going to infiltrate her castle and try to recreate this spell with that wizard from last night?”

“That’s correct.” Half-Demon Thief stood by Priestess, yet cautiously watched the others to see what their reactions would be.

“What guarantee do you have that the spell will be successful? That your second attempt at meddling won’t make things worse than they are?”

“We have no guarantee, but…if we do nothing, then the terrible things that have happened, the friends and loved ones lost may truly be gone forever. Are you going to stop us?” Priestess, though trembling, stood her ground by Half-Demon Thief as she looked toward Spearman.

Spearman was silent for a few moments as he looked toward the girls then smiled as he chuckled to himself.

“You won’t get far if it’s just the five of you against her army. We can buy you the time you need to get into her castle and cast this spell.”

Priestess and Half-Demon Thief were shocked by this then as they looked back toward the guild hall, found the other adventurers smiling as they too stood from their seats with weapons ready. The two girls smiled as they now realized that, they now had more support in their quest, this along with the Beast Master’s army would greatly improve their chances of success.

“Okay then quest givers. You just leave this to the adventurers, and we’ll make sure you are successful!”

“Thank you, but we don’t know if it will truly work. What if we fail, then more lives will be lost.” Priestess, though happy for the extra assistance, was unsure if the rest of the adventurers knew what they would be getting themselves into.

“The forces of chaos are always on the move; we’ll have to face them sooner or later. If we are to face them now, then it will be in a heroic charge rather than waiting for them to come to us. Now everyone, gather what items you will need for this battle will be long and hard, let us die with honor and valor!”

**Author’s Note: Preparations are complete and now comes the assault on the castle in the next chapter. Captaind**kscratcher, thanks for the suggestions in the dialogue Priestess should have had with Earth Mother, I feel it helped her grow as a character and does make the gods think about their own interactions, at least those who are more sympathetic to our heroes.**

**Thanks again guys for the support in this arc, Edward, Ricardo, Fading Light, Rider, and everyone else, I was seriously thinking this is such a depressing arc, I’m not only bumming myself out but those who read it as well. I do have a few fun ideas ahead and little hint for what could be the final arc in this story, not to worry it’s way down the line. By the time it is over, there will be a small conversation between two gods, one of which will be nervous because if the time line is restored, it will mean something terrible is coming for this world…and The God of Chaos is not the one worried.**


	38. Chapter 38

While Priestess and Half-Demon Thief were greeted by Spearman that morning, and encounter was occurring far to the north. Armored Skeleton moved about the courtyard of the Lich Queen’s castle, inspecting his troops as the howl of the wind was drowned out by the wailing of the undead within.

“My general, where are we going to attack next?”

“That is up to our Queen of course.” Armored Skelton sneered as he looked over the other skeletal warriors with a sinister smile. “ _Our horde is quickly growing in number, that dwarven fortress was just filled with prime targets for us. Those fully consumed have added to my forces while the rest swell the ranks of the undead, my queen will soon rule this world._ ”

“You there, skeleton!”

Armored Skeleton and the rest of his troops quickly looked around the area with weapons ready for the source of the voice, but there was no one there.

“My general, above us!”

Armored Skeleton looked upward and found a large winged demon perched atop one of the large ledges of the castle looking down upon them. From where the demon was, none of the skeleton’s weapons could reach him, but he soon saw other skeletons armed with bows and arrows aimed directly at him.

“Kill him.” Armored Skeleton’s response was as cold as the wind around them.

“Hold there.” The winged demon raised his hands to show he was no threat. “My master has sent me here to warn your queen.”

“Hold.” Armored Skeleton raised his hand to stop his archers from attacking. “What warning do you have for my queen?”

“My message is for her to hear directly.”

Armored Skeleton paused for a moment as he looked over the winged demon, there was always the possibility that he would try to harm her, the Demon Lord’s mission would eventually come into conflict with his Queen’s.

“Follow me.” Armored Skeleton continued to glare at the demon as he watched the him descend to the courtyard. “ _No matter what he has plan, my queen is far from weak enough to be hurt by him…and should he do anything, I shall slaughter him before feeding the horde._ ”

The winged demon followed behind Armored skeleton as they walked through the great hall leading to her throne room, behind him was a small dispatch of skeletal warriors, obviously present to kill him should he try anything against the Lich Queen. The group entered and there she sat upon the throne looking over them, her face hidden behind her veil though her eyes flashed red as she watched them all.

“Why do you disturb me?”

“My Queen.” Armored Skeleton took a knee before his queen as did the other skeletal warriors. “This demon has come to deliver some kind of message to you.”

The Lich Queen stared at the winged demon, even if he couldn’t see her face, her hidden gaze unnerved the demon.

“Speak.”

“I…come with a warning from my lord.”

The Lich Queen’s eyes flashed once again as she tightened her grip around the arm rests, cracking them in the process before she stood and slowly walked toward the demon. Those in the room could feel the overwhelming menace radiating off her, the Armored Skeleton and the other skeletal warriors did not move as they kept their eyes on the floor, but the winged demon trembled as she drew closer.

“You dare come to my castle to threaten me?”

“No, you misunderstand. My lord did not send me with a declaration of war, but to caution you against a potential threat.”

“My patience is very thin, deliver the message before I have you fed to my horde!”

“My lord was given a warning from the dark gods above, a group of adventurers may be coming to your castle with the intent of over throwing you and my lord.”

“Preposterous! There is no conceivable way for adventurers to enter my castle! Besides, what does my defeat have to do with the downfall of your pathetic lord?”

“Pathetic? How dare you…” The winged demon clenched his fists, but the fight was soon taken out of him as the Lich Queen towered over him.

“Think carefully where you are little demon, you are in no position to threaten me.”

“Of course…my apologies. My lord was told that there is some type of artifact within your castle that the adventurers may try to use against you.”

The Lich Queen was silent as she looked down at this demon, she had to think what type of artifact or tool was here within her castle that could be possible used against her.

“ _My Horcruxes, that could be the only logical guess._ ” The Lich Queen knew her horcruxes, including the new one, were well protected so what was the concern. “If the Demon Lord is so concerned about these adventurers, why does he not come here to deal with them himself?”

“My Lord and our forces are currently engaged in battle with the King and the alliance of the freefolk at the Capital. We had thought them defeated, and their attack is a doomed one, but they seemed determined to keep our forces there. This is clearly a distraction for something else to come, that is why he has dispatched me to warn you. Though your goals do conflict with my lords, the fate of this world of chaos may rest on you stopping this army from coming.”

The Armored Skeleton and his subordinates looked toward the winged demon, then back toward the Lich Queen to see how she would react. They immediately saw the flash of her eyes and quickly stood and moved away from the winged demon, he assumed it was to let him leave.

“I see…is there anything else?”

“No. I shall take my leave then.” The winged demon bowed toward the Lich Queen before turning to exit the throne room.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

The winged demon turned toward the Lich Queen in time to see her raise her hand and freeze his wings solid. The winged demon cried out in pain as he fell forward, the moment he hit the ground his frozen wings shattered. He tried to get back up but then felt new pain in his legs, the cause of which was the Lich Queen firing icicles into his legs. The winged demon grunt in pain as he turned to see the Lich Queen towering over him, chuckling sinisterly as her eyes glowed in the dimly lit room.

“What…what are you doing?”

“Just keeping promise. I told you to speak your message before I fed you to my horde. You’ve delivered your message…now I shall keep mine.” Lich Queen turned toward the Armored Skeleton and smiled beneath her veil. “Feed him to the horde.”

Armored Skeleton in turn smiled as he and his subordinates dragged the screaming demon away to be fed to the undead. In her throne room, Lich Queen pondered to herself what the demon had come to warn her about.

“ _The Demon Lord must be truly desperate to stop this potential change if he actually came to warn me. My army numbers in the thousands and even if one falls another will take its place, there is no way any can enter my castle. The only one who knew of my weaknesses has been dealt with, she’ll never utter another word again and her brother…I’ve taken measures to ensure he remains where he is. Still…I too can feel a sense of unease, I shall have my army ready to face any who are foolish enough to attack me._ ”

xxxx

Nearly every adventurer agreed to come along on this quest, even though they knew this was going to be a one way quest for all, if not most of them, but with the prospect of changing the things for the better and bringing back those that had been lost through the years, they were ready to put their lives on the line. Spearman took charge of the other adventurers instructing them to gather any and all supplies for the long journey and difficult battle ahead of them. Heavy Warrior and Female Knight would coordinate with the merchants around the town to procure all wagons and horses to carry the adventurers to their final destination.

“We’ll make sure everything is ready by tomorrow morning, the sooner we’re ready the better.” Spearman smiled as he nodded toward Priestess and Half-Demon Thief.

“Thank you.”

“Then that means tonight we have one final feast to celebrate our success in this fight ahead of us.” Heavy Warrior too smiled as he closed his eyes.

“A feast?”

“For many of us, tonight may be the last time we see each other, so why not end it all with a big bang?” Heavy Warrior smiled as he then looked over toward Female Knight.

The normally calm and poised knight found herself blushing and looking toward the ground as she nervously fidgeted, the sight made Spearman and Heavy Knight chuckle.

“Sounds like it will be a lot of fun tonight. We’ll take care of things on our end and meet you all tonight.” Half-Demon Thief smiled as she nodded back towards the trio.

The adventurers split into their groups to take care of all the necessary thing before that night. Light Wizard had left his room the moment he heard things down below, he knew of their plans to prepare for the journey ahead of them, but also knew he had to tell the girls of what lay ahead of them if this spell was to be used.

“I feel better knowing that it will be more than just our party going as well.” Priestess smiled as she looked toward Half-Demon Thief.

“I do too, but we need to focus on making sure this plan of ours works. I doubt the Lich Queen will just let us stroll across the field and into her castle.”

“On that note, I need to speak with…”

Before Human Wizard could get a chance to speak with them, the two oddly dressed armored figures approached the girls. He growled in frustration but opted to allow the girls to speak with these two adventurers, there would be another time for him tell them.

“ _In fact, this will give me some more time to see if there is any other way to use this spell._ ”

“Oh, did you need something from us?” Priestess called out as she watched Light Wizard slowly walk away.

“It can wait.”

With that he walk away to return to his room, leaving the girls to speak with Goblin Slayer and Demon Slayer.

“So you two are the ones who saved my village that night?” Demon Slayer’s voice did not carry any malice in it, it was the same dispassionate voice the two girls were so used to.

“Yes, we were transported to your village by accident.” Priestess said with a weak smile as she looked at Demon Slayer.

“Like we said earlier, we had no idea that doing something like that would affect so much. I’m…I’m sorry about what happened to your family.” Half-Demon Thief bowed her head towards him.

Demon Slayer was silent as she stared at the two young girls, whatever expression was on his face was hidden behind his helmet.

“Is she still alive in your time?”

“She?” Half-Demon Thief at first confused by the question then quickly realized he was referring to his friend.

“Oh you mean her, yes she is.” Priestess add, but was hesitant to tell him that they were not yet married in their time and there was no young child.

“All the more reason to make sure you are all successful in this quest. Thank you both for saving me and my sister at the time.” Demon Slayer bowed his head toward the young women.

“Th, there’s no need for that.” Priestess nervously held up her hands to stop him.

“Yeah…we’re not quite used to seeing you act this way.”

“Then does that mean you are the same Priestess who was a part of my group sometime ago?” Goblin Slayer was the one who spoke now, making sure to remove her helmet as she spoke with them.

“I am.”

“You survived the attack…did I?”

“Yes, another adventurer took on our quest and came to rescue you and I. The other two did not make it.” Priestess sighed as she looked down toward the ground, recalling not just the death of Warrior and Wizard, but the look of defeat on Fighter face as she left.

“Then as he said, we need to make sure you both are successful on your quest. I am glad to see you are okay and that I was not the only one to get out of that situation.” Goblin Slayer had a light smile on her face as she nodded toward them.

Both young girls were delighted to see that these two did not hold any grudge against them for what had transpired in this timeline and would be among those who would help them. That evening, the adventurers had themselves a massive party, not since the celebration of the defeat of the Goblin Lord or the New Year’s party had Priestess and Half-Demon Thief had so much fun as they laughed, ate and drank with the rest of the adventurers. By the next morning, more than a dozen wagons, some with carts attached to the wagons, were set up down the main road by the guild hall.

“Wow…would you look at it all.” Half-Demon Thief was surprised by wagons and then saw all the adventurers slowly exit out of the guild hall.

“It reminds me of those who went to help during the goblin raid two years ago.” Priestess smiled as she watched the various adventurers load up on the wagons.

The girls saw Demon Slayer and Goblin load up on the second wagon from the front with Spearman. The girls were ready to load up on the first with the rest of their party but were stopped when they felt someone’s hand on their shoulder; the girls turned to see Elder Sister behind them smiling warmly at both of them.

“I’m so happy I found you.”

“Oh hello.”

“How are you this morning?”

“I’m well thank you.” Elder Sister smiled but then frowned as she looked toward them. “This…this will be the last time we are able to speak isn’t it?”

The two girls were saddened as they realized what Elder Sister was hinting at, but before the two girls could say anything, she leaned in and hugged both girls.

“I am so happy to have met the both of you and know that you will take good care of him.”

“I…I…”

“You don’t need to say anything. I will pray for your success.” Elder Sister the reached into her pocket and pulled out a small letter before handing it to Priestess. “Here, please take this.”

“What is it?” Half-Demon Thief asked.

“Something for my brother, I’d greatly appreciate it if you could deliver it to him.”

Priestess took the small parcel and could feel something heavy within it, she carefully placed it within her pouch before turning back toward Elder Sister.

“Thank you again for everything.” Elder Sister smiled as she bowed toward the girls.

Both girls smiled before joining the rest of their party on the and with a final wave good-bye the wagons set off the toward the Lich Queen’s castle. Guild Girl and Elder Sister watched as the convoy of wagons set off to try and change things in this timeline to a better one, but after everything they had seen they were both hopeful they would be successful.

xxxx

After a few days on the road, the large convoy of wagons finally entered the cold barren dead woods. The horses were restless as they moved through the forest, for Priestess and Half-Demon Thief they knew it was because of the presence of the undead through the woods.

“Our only saving grace is the fact that we don’t see large numbers of them around.” Half-Demon Thief cautiously looked around the area.

“Do you see any of them?” High Elf Archer looked around the area as well.

“It’s the horses, they’re afraid.” Priestess did her best to try and maintain a calm presence among the others.

“The road forks up ahead, shall we head left or right?” Lizard Priest looked back toward the girls as he held the reigns for the horses.

“Left, the right would only take us to the dwarven fortress, which by now has been left in ruins.” Priestess sighed as she thought about how not to long ago she and the others had come to help the Dwarf Shaman’s uncle. “We should hopefully be reaching the clearing near the castle soon. There we can meet up with Beast Master.”

“Do you really think we can trust this Beast Master?” Half-Demon Thief did not know Beast Master as well as the Priestess but could tell he was one to keep a very close eye on.

“We don’t have much choice, we need only get into the castle and find this altar and then we can fix everything that was ruined.”

After a couple more hours on the road, the wagons came to a halt and the various adventurers disembarked. It was night now and their primary goal was to keep themselves warm as they began to strategize on their plan of attack. In less than an hour many of the adventurers were huddled around small fires while Priestess and her party traveled ahead to scout out the lay of the land. From a hidden snowbank, Half-Demon Thief and the others saw what lay before them and the sight nearly took the fight out of many of the adventurers. Before the castle were thousands of the reanimated undead, each oblivious to the cold and before them was a few thousand skeletal warriors led by the Armored Skeleton.

“You want us to get through that?” Spearman nervously clenched and released his fists as he saw the horde before them. “I hope you have some kind of plan there Thief?”

“Th, there are so many more than what we had to face. All of that won’t matter if our own army doesn’t arrive.”

“According to our schedule we’re here at the right time…you don’t think his army was already wiped out do you?” Priestess grew nervous as she too saw the army before her.

“We’ll know soon enou…” Half-Demon Thief gasped as her eyes caught sight of one of the undead within the horde.

This undead was dressed in thin leather over her chainmail, but there were clear signs of multiple bites along her body. Their short pink hair stained and dirty from what, no one could guess. Their bright yellow eyes were now gone, replaced by dead lifeless eyes that seemed to lock onto her own. Half-Demon Thief found her breathing increasing as she found her alternate self…now one of the undead within the Lich Queen’s horde.

“Are you okay?” Priestess was concerned by the sudden change in her friend.

“I…I’m fine, it won’t affect my abilities.” Half-Demon Thief crawled back from the snowbank to join the others. “ _I was afraid I’d have to see something like this…now more than ever we need to restore our timeline._ ”

The group of adventurers rejoined the others who after a bit of resting stood ready to hear what had been told to them.

“I won’t lie to you, the enemy before us has a force well within the thousands.” Spearman sighed as he thought back to the horde then smiled. “The smart thing would be to turn and run, but fortune favors the bold.”

The other adventurers nodded in response, each had resigned themselves to the certainty that this would be a battle many would not be returning from. Soon enough the group heard the sound of someone chuckling and as they looked around saw two new figures emerge from the shadows to join them.

“Good instincts boy, however you will not be facing this army alone.”

“Beast Master.” Priestess found herself smiling as he saw him and Fallen Magician alive and well, yet knew this was an odd sensation for her. “ _In my time, I was so scared of him as he drew near, now I find comfort in his presence._ ”

“We arrived a day earlier than expected and had a chance to scout the area as well. As you’ve probably seen, that wall of corpses will not be an easy one to get past.” Beast Master smiled as he thought about the coming battle ahead.

“Rest assured, my Disintegration will make short work of many of the monsters.” Fallen Magician was as cold as ever in her reply.

The adventurers soon heard snow crunching and as the looked around realized that they were now surrounded by dozens if not hundreds of goblins, each little creature cackling with wicked glee as the licked their weapons while eyeballing the adventurers. Goblin Slayer instantly tensed up, wanting to charge forward to attack the monsters, but was stopped by Half-Demon Thief who placed a hand on her shoulder.

“What are you doing? They’re goblins!” Goblin Slayer was barely able to contain her rage.

“They’re our army to break through. He has each and every one of these little devils under the control of that ring of his.”

“A Goblin Master?”

“Hardly little one, a goblin is little more than a stupid, filthy beast, and I am Beast Master.” Beast Master chuckled as he held up his left hand and watched as the ring glowed in the light of the fire.

The goblins instantly bent a knee to the Beast Master as they heard his command. The adventurers were shocked by this and soon all eyes fell back to Beast Master and Fallen Magician who both smiled at the sight.

“Now we have an army.” Spearman smiled then turned back toward the young girls. “So what’s the plan?”

xxxx

Armored Skeleton found himself annoyed as he and his horde had been waiting for nearly five days for this supposed army the demon had warned them about. None of his soldiers nor the undead were tired, exhaustion was something they could no longer feel, but there was still a sense of boredom.

“ _A lingering sentiment from when I was alive, but my warriors blood hungers for bloodshed. How funny since I am a skeleton and can not eat._ ”

Suddenly the sound a wolf drew his attention, as well as the horde’s, toward the tree line and there they saw a lone wolf with a small rider atop it.

“ _A goblin atop a wolf?_ ”

Soon multiple wolf howls could be heard and little by little more goblins emerged; from goblin riders to goblin champions, the small army itself now numbers well into the thousands as well. Before this army were four particular individuals, a tall goblin in a red cape, a large mangy warg, a human male in dirty brown leather armor and a beautiful spell caster in a black gown.

“ _An army of goblins…what does he hope to accomplish with such a ridiculous army_ ” Armored Skeleton was confused by this force before him. “Are you minions of the Demon Lord?”

“Minions of the Demon Lord, don’t make me laugh…I’ve come for the head of the lich!”

“You wretched worm how dare you threaten my queen! What can your pathetic army of goblins do against her horde?”

“Pathetic…don’t you know that goblins are actually pretty fearsome opponents?”

It was a new voice that drew the attention of Armored Skeleton and from further behind the tress were dozens of adventurers of different races now standing beside the goblins with weapons ready. Although many of the female adventurers were disgusted by the mere presence of the goblins, they at least knew that Beast Master was keeping them in check.

“My, my…what an unusual army before me.”

The female voice drew everyone’s attention toward the castle, there upon one of the balconies overlooking the field was the massive form of the Lich Queen. Her mere presence was enough to make many, goblins included, tremble with fear but this only made the Lich Queen laugh.

“My queen!”

“So you’re the Lich Queen, you’re far uglier than I would have thought and my imagination is pretty vast. Have you come to fight us, or do you prefer to stay there where it is safe?”

Armored Skeleton growled with frustration as he heard this mortal insult his queen yet needed to only look upward to see the Lich Queen was as calm and poised as ever.

“You human, I could easily cast Fear over all of you and simply watch as your fears destroy your bodies.”

“You could indeed, but then that would imply you wished to deal with us as quickly as possible because you feared us. Is that the case?”

“My love is insulting her really the wisest thing to do?”

“Wisest, far from it, but it is indeed the most enjoyable thing I can do.”

The Lich Queen was silent as she looked back at this human, she angrily clenched her fist, cracking the knuckles in the process then slowly sighed as she released her grip.

“Kill them. Leave not a scrap of flesh on his bones.”

“At once my queen. All forces…charge!”

The skeletal warriors screamed as they charged forward, the horde of the undead wailed as they followed behind the warriors to approach their next meal.

“Just as planned, now my love!” Beast Master smiled as he looked toward Fallen Magician.

Fallen Magician nodded her head as she raised her magic rod toward the horde and cast her most destructive spell.

“Disintegrate!”

The blast of swirling light flew forward tearing through the skeletal warriors and undead with ease until it collided with the side of the castle with a thunderous explosion.

“There’s their opening…the rest of you charge!”

The goblin army and band of adventurers charged forward, crashing into the army of the undead. Ordinarily, the goblin army would have run in fear or immediately turned on the adventurers, but Beast Masters’ orders were absolute.

“ _You will fight to the last goblin, any who even think of taking one step back shall cut their own throats!_ ”

While the horde was busy engaging the army, they failed to notice the trail of footprints moving through the snow beyond them. Half-Demon Thief struggled to maintain her Stealth ability while holding hands with the rest of the invasion party. They slowly walked forward as they neared the horde, but with the Disintegration spell in affect they could now run forward through the opening to reach the moat and sewers. The moment they were out of sight of the Lich Queen and her horde Half-Demon Thief undid her spell so the group could move much faster. With Half-Demon Thief and Priestess were the rest of their party members, in addition to them were Spearman, Heavy Warrior, Female Knight, Goblin Slayer and Demon Slayer.

“ _We’ll enter the same way we did the last time, but this time we’ll stay together while the Lich Queen is distracted._ ”

The party of ten entered through the kitchen and just like before found the area free of any undead.

“Okay we’re in, so what now?” Spearman looked around the area and outside the kitchen, thankfully finding no signs of opposition.

“The altar I saw was in the highest tower of the castle. With her and the army distracted we should be able to move more freely.” Half-Demon Thief gave a quick nod of her head towards him.

“Are you sure she would not have moved the altar? That army was ready for us.” Female Knight was concerned that their plan might fail if any further unexpected events occurred.

“Not unless she decided to tear that giant stone slab out of the floor. The altar is part of the floor, there should be no feasible way for her to remove it.”

“Um, Thief…out there among the horde…I saw…” Priestess found she was unable to finish her sentence but had now seen what it was that worried Thief earlier.

“I saw it too, but it doesn’t matter. We’ve got a job to do and have come too far to turn back now.”

The group was ready to move on, but even as they pressed forward Light Wizard still had an uneasy look about his face. The others believed it to be the current situation they were in, which in part was true, but there was something more serious weighing on his mind.

The party of ten easily moved through the castle, nearly every undead and skeletal warrior was out on the battlefield. If there was any opposition to be found they would be guarding the horcruxes, thankfully the path they needed would have them go by any of her horcruxes. Higher and higher they climbed the winding staircase until they finally reached the tallest tower, but the moment they reach the hallway leading to the altar room they found more than a dozen skeletal warriors guarding the way.

“What the hell are they doing here?” Half-Demon Thief was taken aback by the sight of them here.

“Trying to stop us, but it will take more than this!” High Elf Archer let loose an arrow which pierced through the skull of one the warriors.

The others who could fight joined in and in a few moments, they had destroyed all the skeletal warriors.

“That takes care of that. Hardly worth my time.” Female Knight was brimming with confidence as she looked down at the shattered skeletons.

“But…why are they here. There’s nothing to protect on this level unless…”

There was the collective fear that the Lich Queen had gone and destroyed altar as the demon worshipers had done before. The group charged into the room with weapons ready but found it empty, there off to the side was the large stone altar undamaged.

“Is that what we’re looking for?” Spearman allowed his spear to rest upon his shoulder as he looked at the giant stone slab.

“That’s it, now I…I can begin drawing the figures for the spell.” The Human Wizard frowned as he tightened his grip on the black tome as he walked toward the altar.

Half-Demon Thief looked around the room, the altar was still intact, but that could not have been the only thing the skeletons were guarding. Her eyes suddenly caught movement off to the side and as she turned with daggers ready, found it was someone shackled to the wall.

“No…” She felt her heart sink as she recognized the figure imprisoned here in the tallest tower.

Priestess and the others turned, for most all they saw a demon who resembled Half-Demon Thief, but for Priestess she was able to recognize Thief’s brother right away. The weakened demon groaned as he opened his eyes and saw the various people before him, but to his surprise saw his sister there.

“It, it’s you…I thought…the horde had consumed you.” Half-Demon Assassin struggled to speak as he looked over his sister with a weak smile. “I’m…glad you’re okay. You were right…we should have run…a long time ago.”

“Brother…what…why?”

“To ensure…her final horcrux…would not leave? What I thought…was an honorable task…has become my eternal sentence.”

“Just a moment, I’ll cut you down and…”

“No…it would only…leave her with another horcrux…please…kill me..”

Half-Demon Thief and the others were shocked by his request, in particular Demon Slayer drew parallels to his own sister. If they were in reversed roles, could he kill his sister, or would his sister be able to kill him?

“Please…as a final…favor…”

With tears in her eyes, Half-Demon Thief screamed as she plunged her dagger into her brother’s chest. There was a gasp from the others while he grunted in pain from the blade in his chest, yet there was a small smile on his face as he looked back toward his sister.

“Thank…you…” Half-Demon Assassin gave a final sigh before his head hung down, his chin resting on his chest.

Elsewhere, the Lich Queen watched as her army was slowly starting to encircle around the army of goblin and adventurers when she felt a great pain. With a scream that echoed across the battlefield, all eyes looked upward to see her gripping the railing of the balcony to keep from toppling over.

“My queen?” Armored Skeleton was immediately concerned as he saw her in so much pain.

“You…you stay on the battlefield and finish these worms!” Lich Queen’s eyes flashed red as more than a hundred of her skeletal warriors turned and ran back toward the castle. “My…my horcrux! The filth is already here in my castle!”

“I’m so sorry.” Priestess placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder.

“With one of her horcruxes gone, she’ll be coming.” Half-Demon Thief wiped the tears from her eyes as she looked back toward her comrades. “And I doubt she’ll be alone.”

“The Lich Queen.” Priestess was pale as she though about that imposing figure storming through the door to slaughter all who had defied her.

“Right…then we know what we have to do.” High Elf Archer sighed as she looked toward the others.

“We all knew what kind of fight we were in for.” Spearman smiled.

“Wait…what are you…”

“The seven of us will hold off their forces while you three finish the spell. No matter what happens keep this door closed.” High Elf Archer smiled as she looked over the two young girls, she’d only met a short while ago but had come to treasure their friendship.

“You can’t, she’ll kill you all!” Half-Demon Thief looked at them all with wide eyes.

“If that is to be our fate then so be it. It all goes well, our sacrifices here will mean the world is again at peace and we along with our friends shall return.” Lizard Priest too smiled as he looked over the young girls.

“But…what if we’re wrong?” Priestess knew it was foolish, but did not want to lose anybody.

“If we’re wrong, we’ll be dead anyway so it still won’t matter would it?” Spearman smirked before he headed for the door.

The other adventurers followed behind him while Priestess, Half-Demon Thief and Human Wizard stayed behind. Goblin Slayer and Demon Slayer were the last two out and as they turned to shut the door, gave the girls a final nod.

“Bar the door from your side…we’ll do all we can.” Demon Slayer shut the door tightly, the final time the girls may get to see him.

For the two young girls there were a mix of conflicted emotions as they knew their friends would buy them the precious time they needed to complete the spell and restore the timeline.

“We’re going to get through this! We will fix everything!” Half-Demon Thief had an unsure smile about her face as she looked toward Priestess.

“Yes…you’re absolutely correct.”

“The proper figures are drawn and I’m ready to begin casting the spell, but…we have a big problem.” Light Wizard went about barring the door as Demon Slayer had instructed before turning toward the girls. “I’ve scoured the tome in hopes of finding any alternative, but for this spell to work properly…there is one key thing that is needed.”

“What’s missing? What do we need?” Priestess was in a panic as the thought of the spell failing and everything they were doing would be for naught.

“A sacrifice…the blood of a pure soul is required to cast the spell.” Light Wizard found he was unable to look either girl in the face as he spoke.


	39. Chapter 39

“ _You will not interfere with the game any further!_ ”

Though the time had been short for the gods, they had seen the rise of this world of chaos, and now the adventurers were on the cusp of rewriting events again or possibly failing, the outcome was far from clear. The gods once again found themselves centered around the board watching the events unfold before them, this time it was Illusion and Chaos who sat on either side of the table.

“ _What do you mean?_ ”

“ _You’ve already warned the worshippers to destroy the altar some time ago and now you directly voice your concerns to the Demon Lord._ ” Truth was stern in his response as he looked toward the god.

“ _What of her? She had direct contact with that armored adventurer!_ ” Chaos growled as pointed an accusatory finger toward Earth Mother.

Earth Mother was calm as looked toward Chaos, no anger in her gaze, then calmly went back to looking toward the board game.

“ _Her caution did not directly interfere with the battle at hand, the adventurers still had to deal with the army themselves. Hers was not to further her own agenda, unlike yours._ ” Truth turned his attention back to the board. “ _We will let the dice roll and that shall determine how the fate of these adventurers shall play out._ ”

Illusion gave a nod of her head and threw the dice down upon the board.

xxxx

The goblin champion swung its massive club left and right easily crushing the undead around it, although its body was covered in various wounds it continued to fight that is until several wolves infected by the undead pounced. The undead animals ripped at its flesh as the monstrous beast fell screaming as the wolves continued to rend its flesh. The adventures and goblin army had crashed into the horde but even their large numbers were no match for the horde that began to encircle the survivors.

Goblin Paladin raised its stolen sword high as he and small group of goblins charged forward once again to slaughter through the undead. Beast Master continued to battle with Armored Skeleton while Fallen Magician and Scar were battling nearby. Fallen Magician had to use her Disintegrate spell sparingly as it taxed her body, so instead she relied on Firebolts to keep most undead at bay, but the sheer number her spells were not as effective as she had hoped for.

“Damn, there is no end to these bastards.” Beast Master struggled to battle Armored Skeleton’s ax with his sword and whip.

“I’m not sure what you hope to accomplish here, but you’re only delaying the inevitable.” Armored Skeleton grunted as Beast Master’s whip entangled itself around his ax and was now caught in a tug of war. “Even now, your forces are slowly being overwhelmed by the horde.”

Beast Master suddenly heard a horrid cry from the battlefield and as he looked to the side saw the horde descend upon the Goblin Paladin. In a gruesome display of gore, the horde pulled and tore at its body the red cape torn apart as the undead struggled to get to the flesh. Beast Master growled in anger then quickly gave his whip a quick jerk, Beast Master stumbled forward and in that moment Beast Master swung his sword across the skeleton’s face. The blow had so much force behind it Armored Skeleton’s helmet was knocked off and there was a massive crack atop his skull.

“Scar!”

Armored Skelton stumbled backwards from the blow, but the moment of distraction was more than enough for Scar to tackle the skeleton to the ground savagely biting and tearing at the skeleton’s arm. Beast Master took that moment to catch his breath before he would continue his assault, he then looked up toward the castle hoping to see the Lich Queen angry at the battle but found she was nowhere to be seen.

“What the hell…where is she?” Beast Master nervously looked around the battlefield expecting to find her there but could not find the massive figure.

Suddenly a new scream could be heard, one that caused the color to drain from his face. He quickly turned around to see one of the undead tearing a chuck of flesh away from Fallen Magician’s shoulder. Fallen Magician screamed as she dropped her magic rod, clutching her still bleeding wound. She pulled away from the undead and dropped to her knees as the undead loudly chewed on her flesh within its mouth. Beast Master in fit of rage dropped his whip and drew out a silver dagger from behind his back, then launched it forward, watching as the blade embedded itself in the undead’s face. With the undead slain, he rushed to the side of his love, distressed as he watched the blood flow down her shoulders staining her gown. Fallen Magician looked up toward his with an expression of sorrow, both at the situation that had befallen her and causing him to worry.

“ _No…that bite from the undead…I won’t be able to save h…_ ” Beast Master’s thoughts were interrupted as now his body was racked with pain.

“My love!”

Beast Master now collapsed to one knee, dropping his sword as he struggled to keep from toppling over onto his injured wife. Blood ran down his back from a deep gash, the cause of which was the blood stained ax Armored Skeleton held in his hand. Both Beast Master and Fallen Magician looked at one another with concern on their face then noticed something fall beside them. The looked toward their side and saw the severed head of Scar laying beside them, his blood staining the snow.

“Sc…Scar…” Beast Master struggled to speak through the pain.

He turned his head to see Armored Skelton, much of his armor cracked or torn off from his battle with the warg angrily glaring at them. Beast Master knew there was no way to try and fight back against this undead given his injuries, he suddenly felt something touching his front side, he turned around to see Fallen Magician looking through his pouch for something. A light smile crossed her face as she found the item and held it up for him to see.

“I told you…I’d follow you…wherever you go my love…even if it is to hell itself.” Fallen Magician smiled as she stared into his eyes.

Beast Master at first surprised by this smiled warmly as he leaned in to kiss his wife one last time and took the item into his hand.

“You damn mortals…this battle was lost from the very start. No matter what you do, there is no possible outcome in which you survive!” Armored Skeleton hissed as he raised his ax to finish them off.

Beast Master started to chuckle, this caught Armored Skeleton off guard as he then saw him take his left arm to embrace Fallen Magician, the two now laughing heartily.

“Stupid undead, not a brain within that skull of yours! Surviving this battle was never the goal…it was just a luxury!” Beast Master raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.

Armored Skeleton saw a small clay sphere within the human’s hand and a short wick connected to it. The snap of his fingers ignited the spark, but before Armored Skeleton could fully comprehend what was happening, there was a thunderous explosion that destroyed the bodies of the three. Those nearby were thrown to the ground while others turned toward the sound of the blast to see the smoke traveling from the charred remains that lay in the snow.

The surviving adventurers and goblins took notice that the horde had nearly enveloped them, completely surrounded and with nowhere to run, the only thing they could do was charge forward to meet their end and gamble on the success of the group inside the castle.

xxxx

“What do you mean a sacrifice is needed?” Half-Demon Thief face contorted with rage as she looked toward the Light Wizard.

“I was trying to find some way to bypass this, thinking maybe it didn’t require as much blood but the ritual set by the dark gods commands a high price.” Light Wizard sighed as he looked toward the two young girls with a saddened expression. “I need to cast the spell…so unless one of you is willing to give their lives, we won’t be able to go any further than this. I’m truly sorry.”

Half-Demon Thief found herself angry and confused, she was so distraught that she had failed to notice the expression on Priestess face.

“ _Damn you dark gods, haven’t you taken enough from us already? What can I do, I’ve…I’ve slain far too many innocent people to be considered pure and Priestess…no, I won’t let this happen! There must be something we can do. Think! Think!_ ”

“I’ll do it.”

Half-Demon Thief felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her. She turned to find Priestess looking toward the ground, her body trembling as evident by the jingling of her sounding staff.

“I…I have no desire to die, but if my life must be offered to fix everything I am prepared to…though be it reluctantly.”

“Priestess no! There has to be some other way…let…let me be the one to…”

“Thief…my friend.” Priestess looked toward her friend with a light smile on her face despite the tears in her eyes. “He’s sacrificed so much for us…now I can help him. I can help them all.”

“I…I don’t want to lose you.” Half-Demon Thief cried as she rushed toward her friend and embraced her. “What am I going to tell the others when I get back? We’re supposed to go back together! I…I don’t want to lose any more friends!”

Priestess too was crying as she held her friend but also knew that the longer they waited, the smaller the window of success was. She and the others soon heard the muffled sound of an explosion from outside the chamber as well as the sound of their friends battling to make sure they were successful.

“We, we don’t have time. I’m sorry to put this all on you, but I need you to go and stop all of this.” Priestess broke the embrace but continued to hold her friend’s hands in her own. “Tell them…I’m sorry for my selfishness, but it is to ensure they have some form of happiness in their lives. Tell them, I enjoyed every moment I spent with them. Can you do that for me?”

Half-Demon Thief looked toward her friend, tears still running down her face, at this moment she was unable to say anything and simply nodded her head. Priestess then took out the small parcel Elder Sister had given to her and presented it to Half-Demon Thief, the young demon looked at the small package before accepting it and tucking it into her own pouch. Priestess looked back toward the altar, terrified beyond belief at this large stone piece, terrified of what was to come.

“Will…will you hold my hand until the end? I’m so scared right now.” Priestess could not stop herself from trembling.

“O…of course.”

The two girls slowly made their way toward the altar where Light Wizard was waiting for them. Priestess reluctantly climbed onto the altar and positioned herself so the blood from her wrists and neck would flow into the openings. Light Wizard struggled to connect the binds to the young girl as he had desire to hurt her. Priestess breathing quickened as she lay there unable to move, only able to look left or right, to her left was Half-Demon Thief still holding her hand tightly, but to her right there was no one.

“ _Earth Mother…I am so scared right now…please give me the courage to face this task ahead of me._ ”

“ _You don’t have to ask little one._ ”

Priestess looked toward her right to see the visage of Earth Mother smiling warmly at her as she held her right hand.

“Earth Mother.”

“ _No need to speak, I can hear your thoughts clear as day. Don’t worry little one, no one will see or hear me._ ”

“ _Earth Mother…I am so sorry for all that I…_ ”

“ _You have nothing to apologize for, you were freely speaking your mind. Right now…you are showing more courage than any god let alone human, what kind of deity would I be to ignore you in this your time of need?_ ” Earth Mother gently held her right hand and smiled weakly at Priestess.

“ _Earth Mother…thank you._ ” Priestess closed her eyes happy that she would not be alone at this time.

Half-Demon Thief was curious as to why her friend was smiling but then saw Light Wizard move around to her right ride with knife in hand. She tightly held Priestess involuntarily flinching as he deeply cut her right wrist. Priestess cried out in pain, but soon he moved toward Half-Demon’s side and repeated the same process. Half-Demon Thief continued to hold onto her friends’ hand, tears streaming down her face as she watched the blood flow then looked up to see him cut her throat. Priestess eyes were wide from this last cut as she gurgled on her blood; Half-Demon Thief could feel her heart breaking as she watched all of this and wished to turn away but knew she had to hold onto her friends’ hand. Priestess twitched violently as her blood spilled from her body, and although it seemed like an eternity of suffering for Half-Demon Thief to endure, Priestess soon stopped moving.

“It’s done.” Light Wizard looked toward the knife in his hand and threw it away in disgust. “ _To think I do something like this willingly in their time…well no more!_ ”

Half-Demon Thief looked at the still body of her friend then noticed multiple water drops on Priestess right side near her hand.

“ _Water…no tears, but from who? Wait…she mentioned Earth Mother a few moments ago, was that her…did she shed tears for her follower?_ ”

Before Half-Demon Thief could ponder this any further, she felt a hand on her shoulder, she reluctantly released Priestess hand and turned to face Light Wizard.

“I know you hurting, but you need to listen to me. You can still save her.”

“What? How?”

“Thought is what is needed now, your thought will transport you, the more specific your thought the more precise the travel is. You and your friend had the vague thought to help your friend, that is why it sent you to a random time to help him. You need to focus on a time before you set out, where she is still alive, stop yourselves from entering the time gate and you’ll avoid changing the past a second time.”

“I just have to think about a time before and I can save her?”

“Yes, but you also need to be careful of interactions with your past self. Even I don’t know wat may happen if that were to happen.” Light Wizard then had a thought go through his mind and knew what else was required of him. “When you find me, the other me, do whatever you have to do in order to stop him and be sure to destroy this book.”

“Why the book?”

“This must be the last time such a spell is ever used. We can’t let the dark gods and the forces of chaos have their way. Now, no matter what happens between now and the spell is cast, you focus on the time and place you will travel to.”

“I understand…thank you.”

xxxx

The Lich Queen and the skeletal warriors moved through the castle toward the second level, once in the hallway that branched off toward the various horcruxes she dispersed her minions with about fifty of the warriors moving toward her fourth horcrux.

“ _Which horcrux did they destroy? There were only two who knew of their locations, one has already been turned into a minion of my horde and the other is up in the tallest tower to keep him from killing himself. None of those who entered my castle should even know about them, so how?_ ”

Lich Queen’s eyes flashed with a red light before she turned her body into a cloud of black mist and quickly traveled down the hallway toward the right. She was determined to find these foolish adventurers and slaughter every one of them for this transgression.

Meanwhile the adventurers outside the altar room stood ready with weapons drawn. They heard the sound of footsteps traveling up the stairs, Lizard Priest summon forth two Dragon-Tooth Warriors to add to their numbers just as some of the skeletal warriors came charging forward. The warriors themselves charged forward and met the attack, doing their best to parry the skeletal warriors and destroy as many as they could, all was going well until the eyes of the Dragon-Tooth Warriors flashed red. The first Dragon-Tooth Warrior turned its hollow gaze toward Female Knight who stood before him while the second warrior looked toward Lizard Priest.

“Remember, we keep them from entering this room, no matter what!” Spearman grunted as he continued to knock the skeletal warriors back but grew concerned when he noticed archers forming in the back row. “Careful, they have archers!”

“Not to worry, those archers will be no problem.” Female Knight smiled as she brushed aside her sweat matted hair and readied to attack.

The two Dragon-Tooth Warriors picked up the weapons of the fallen skeletal warriors and prepared to attack. It was only when it was too late that Demon Slayer noticed the warrior walking toward Female Knight.

“Behind you!”

Female Knight turned only to be knocked down by the Dragon-Tooth Warrior, once she was on the ground the warrior pounced on her slashing at her body with weapon and claws, tearing away her armor and exposing her vulnerable flesh. Female Knight screamed as her body was hacked by the Dragon-Tooth Warrior as the others could only look on with wide eyes.

“No…”

Lizard Priest grunted as the second Dragon-Tooth warrior turned and stabbed its summoner in the stomach. As Lizard Priest looked down to see this with confused eyes several other skeletal warriors rushed in and followed suit and repeatedly stab Lizard Priest over and over until the mighty adventurer fell. High Elf Archer looked on with wide eyes as she watched the skeletal warriors tear her friend apart before her but before she could rush to her friends’ side, she felt a pain in her left shoulder. She looked to her side and saw an arrow stuck in her body, she looked ahead not certain what exactly was going on several more arrows flew forward each striking a different part of her body. High Elf Archer took a couple steps backwards, seven arrows deeply imbedded in her body, then collapsed to her left side her eyes open but no longer able to see anything.

“Damn.” Spearman gritted his teeth as he saw three of his comrades fall in just a short time. “The Lich’s spell is influencing the Dragon warriors, we have to kill them!”

Heavy Warrior hardly needed an excuse to charge forward to avenge his lover as he took his massive broadsword and easily crushed the skeletons around his fallen comrades. Once the bloodlust had subsided, he looked down at the remains of his lover, for the first, and last time, tears ran down his face. He suddenly felt a cold sensation in the room, he looked away from his lover’s remains to see a massive figure in black, save a gold crown atop their head, looking down at him.

“ _By the gods…the Lich Queen…_ ” Heavy Warrior couldn’t move, her overwhelming hatred kept him frozen in place.

“Get out of there!”

With a wave of her hand, a burst of cold air surrounded Heavy Warrior and an instant later, he stood there completely frozen. Lich Queen then struck the frozen body with the back of her left fist and chuckled the body shattered into several pieces that flew around the room.

“Now…what to do with the rest of you?” Lich Queen looked toward the last three adventurers that stood before her.

The three surviving warriors backed up toward the door, once again readying themselves to fight even though they knew this was a losing fight. Within the room there was a red light glowing around the stone altar just as it had before, Half-Demon Thief stood ready as she kept mentally repeating to herself what she needed to correctly travel. The door to the room exploded and a burst of cold air flooded the room. Half-Demon Thief started to turn, but Light Wizard stood before her, his back toward her, with staff aimed toward the doorway.

“Don’t look this way, remember you have a far more important task ahead of us! Leave this to me!”

Half-Demon Thief nodded her head and quickly turned back toward the altar and proceeded to repeat where she would be traveling to. Light Wizard nervously stood before the doorway, waiting for the some to clear but soon saw a massive figure in black slowly enter the room. Beneath her foot was the bloody body of Spearman, a vacant gaze in his lifeless eyes. In each of her hands she held the bodies of the other two adventurers. In the left hand was the lifeless body of Goblin Slayer which she effortlessly threw aside chuckling as the body hit the wall then slumped to the floor. In her right hand was the still alive Demon Slayer, though covered in blood, the armored adventurer used his sword to stab the Lich Queen in the hand.

“D…Damn you…”

“You annoy me.” Lich Queen turned her gaze from the Human Wizard to the adventurer in her hand.

Just like Heavy Warrior, she used her magic to freeze his body solid then effortlessly crushed his body within her hands. Just as she looked back toward Light Wizard, her body was struck by multiple bolts of lighting. Light Wizard knew he himself could not defeat this opponent, but the goal was not to win but to buy enough time for the young demon to travel through the time gate.

“ _Just a few moments more…_ ”

The Lich Queen pointed her hand at the spell caster and several shards of ice flew forward. Light Wizard could only look on with wide eyes as the shards of ice tore through his body, tearing off his arms and legs, reducing him to a blood pile of meat on the floor. Lich Queen calmly looked at the stain that was the spell caster before she noticed the red glow within the room, she looked toward the altar and saw another figure there, one she clearly recognized.

“You…but how?” Lich Queen was at a loss for how Half-Demon Thief could be alive. “Prepare to die again you damn traitor.”

Lich Queen once again raised her hand and launched a wave of ice shards toward the demon, but then there was a great flash of light. When the light subsided, the ice shards struck the stone altar and the body that lay upon it, but the young demon was gone.

“What? Where…where did she go?”

xxxx

“ _No._ ” Chaos looked at the board with disbelief, once again the board began to change the current log of events was moved aside as the old one was moved back toward the table.

“ _It would seem that your little scheme has not gone the way you had hoped._ ” Truth had a smirk upon his face.

“ _The game has not been decided yet._ ” Chaos growled in frustration. “ _The roll meant she was successful in the casting of the spell, we have yet to see if the adventurers do not make the same mistake once again._ ”

As before the gods murmured among themselves, though they did not agree with the world Chaos had created for the game, they could not deny the possibility that things could still revert to the events they had just left was still a possibility. As Illusion looked back toward the board game, she took notice of Earth Mother, tears still present in her eyes.

“ _Are you okay?_ ”

“ _It…it was difficult to watch her in those final moments. I’ve grown quite attached to that one, perhaps more than I should, but if things can be changed for the better, I shall be sure to do better by her._ ”

“ _Let us have faith that the dice shall fall in our favor._ ” Illusion too had grown fond of her adventurers and wished them well.

Once again, the dice were thrown, and the fate of the game was…

xxxx

Half-Demon Thief found herself near the stables by the guild hall, she carefully crept forward toward the front in time to see Goblin Slayer, the one she had come to know and admire, depart with Dwarf Shaman, Lizard Priest and High Elf Archer.

“Before we go and take care of these goblins, we’re going to stop by the farm. If I know Orcbolg, you haven’t been by there and we are not the only ones worried about you.”

“I didn’t wish to bother her.”

“Really Beardcutter, you’ve been gone this long and the only thing you think of is dealing with more goblins? That girl must have the patience of the Supreme God to put up with you.”

“ _I…I did it, he’s here…they’re all here._ ” She wanted to rush out and tell them all that had transpired but knew better. “ _I need to set things right first before…before I tell them about Priestess. No, I will save her and the others._ ”

Half-Demon Thief knew it would still be some time before she and Priestess would be returning from their errand, which meant she still had time to come up with a way to fix this, but how? Should she warn them not to accept the quest, but that would only mean the corrupted version of Light Wizard would be successful. Should she go now and slay the group, but what effect would that have in this timeline if she directly intervened?

“ _I’ve already seen what happens when we directly get ourselves involved…what should I do to save them?_ ”

She finally decided that the adventurers in this timeline would be the ones to set things right. She went around back and took one of the white sheets drying in the laundry and created a makeshift cloak to hide herself as she walked into the guild. Guild Girl still concerned by Goblin Slayer’s recent actions and behavior quickly recomposed herself as the figure in white approached the desk.

“Good morning, welcome.”

“H, hello. I…wish to speak with the young Demon Thief when she returns from her errands.”

“Are you a friend of hers?”

“You could say that. I shall wait for her in one of the meeting rooms upstairs.” Just as she was about to leave a sudden thought crossed her mind. “Would you please tell her I need to only see her, not Priestess.”

“You know of her party member as well?” Guild Girl paused as she looked at the figure and noticed her bright yellow eyes. “Wait…are you…”

“Please. It’s very important that I speak with her.”

Guild Girl was silent for a moment, she was sure that this girl was Half-Demon Thief, but that just couldn’t be since she was still out on an errand.

“Very well. Once she has returned I shall have her speak with you.”

Half-Demon Thief quickly went up the stairs and waited patiently in the first room. There she thought about what she would say and how she would introduce herself or for that matter should she introduce herself. It was some time before she heard the familiar voices of Priestess and herself down below, she found herself growing nervous as the time where she would meet herself.

“Calm yourself, it’s like looking at your reflection…only if this reflection does the same thing I did nothing will be resolved.”

xxxx

“He’s gone again?” Priestess sighed as she closed her eyes and hung her head.

“What the hell? He finally gets back and then takes off again?” Half-Demon Thief pounded the bottom of her fist on the table. “And now the others have gone with him? They couldn’t even wait for us?”

“They left a little more than four hours ago. You both were out on that earlier errand and you know how Goblin Slayer can be.” Guild Girl smiled as she happily conversed with the two young girls.

“I’m sorry that I had you go with me on that errand.” Priestess bowed her head toward Half-Demon Thief.

“It’s not your fault, no need to apologize. Things just turned out this way, can’t be helped.”

“They should be back in few short days, since he’s no longer going at it alone this time.” Guild Girl smiled then a thought popped into her head. “You know, while the rest are on a goblin slaying quest, perhaps you two should go on your own quest.”

“On our own?” Priestess was unsure of just the two of them going on a quest by themselves.

“It’s a possibility, however the quest that comes to mind will need a couple other able-bodied individuals, and I’m sure you can think of two individuals that would be willing to accompany you.”

Priestess and Half-Demon Thief thought about it, this quest might be what they needed to move up in the ranks, and with that thought in mind, looked around to find Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric and see if they would be willing to accompany them. It was then that Guild Girl remembered that there was the visitor who wished to speak with Half-Demon Thief.

“Alright, we’re in.” Apprentice Cleric smiled as she bowed her head toward Priestess and Half-Demon Thief.

“Thank you for the invite to join you.” Rookie Warrior too smiled at the thought of not having to go on another sewer quest.

“Just a moment, before you all depart I forgot to mention there is a visitor here requesting to speak with you…and only you specifically.” Guild Girl made pointed toward Half-Demon Thief.

“Me?”

“She claimed that she was a friend of sorts.”

“ _I…I don’t have any friends other than my party and my guildmates. I don’t like this._ ” Half-Demon Thief was suspicious of this supposed friend and debated just ignoring this person, but eventually decided to meet this mystery person and turned toward the rest of his party. “Give me a moment to speak with this person.”

Priestess and the others nodded their heads and watched as Half-Demon Thief slowly walked up the stairs and entered the first meeting room. There in the first room Half-Demon Thief found the individual in the white cloak facing towards the wall. She was cautious as she looked over the figure then calmly took a seat on the couch and waited for the other person to do the same.

“I’m told you wished to speak with me?”

“Yes, thank you for meeting me.”

“ _She…she sounds just like me_ ” Half-Demon Thief suspiciously eyed this cloaked individual. “Aren’t you going to sit?”

“No, I think it best I not face you directly.”

“You told them we were friends, but we clearly have not met before today.”

“In a way we have…we see each other every day.”

“I am not in the mood for any riddles. You don’t seem to be a threat so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and hear you out before I just depart.”

“It has to do with the quest you and the others are going to embark upon.”

“How do you know about that? We just accepted it a few moments ago, are you the quest giver?”

“No.”

Half-Demon Thief growled in frustration, this cloaked individual was being very cryptic in her responses.

“I grow tired of these games, if you don’t have anything further…”

The cloaked figure drew out a dagger from her back and tossed it upon the table, Half-Demon Thief drew out her own daggers and stood ready to fight but then noticed the dagger on the table matched to her own.

“That’s…but how? Who the hell are you?” Half-Demon Thief calmly put her weapons away and stared at this cloaked figure with wide eyes.

“Someone who has made many mistakes and lost many friends in the process. On this quest you are about to undertake, there will be a wizard looking to perform a sinister ritual, you must stop him at all costs and then destroy his spell book.”

“Why the spell book?”

“Such a spell must never be used again. If the spell if cast, you and the others must stay away from the light.”

“Why? If you are who I think you are, what happened?”

The cloaked figure was silent for a moment as she thought about all that had happened and what was lost.

“An act of kindness in a different time…cost so many grief, I’m hopeful that you and the others can correct that mistake.”

“If we are successful, what will happen to you?”

“I don’t know, maybe I’ll still be here when you get back or perhaps…I’ll simply disappear. I would be satisfied either way.” The cloaked figure turned to retrieve her dagger and then calmly took out a parcel from her pouch and extended it toward Half-Demon Thief. “I have one final request, make sure this is delivered to him when you see him again.”

Half-Demon Thief reached out for the parcel and let her eyes meet the eyes of this figure, the sight of the bright yellow eyes slightly started her, then nodded and she took the parcel and placed it in her own pouch.

“I…I have so many questions.”

“I know, but for your sake it is best we leave it like this. I shall pray for your success.”

The two stared at each other for a few moments more before half-demon Thief bowed her head and headed back to join her party. The cloaked figure secretly exited out the window and rushed to the top of the guild to watched the party depart towards the village.

“ _Gods above…please let this work._ ”

xxxx

“Bind her to the table! Keep an eye on the rest!” Dark Wizard looked up at the sky and smiled even wider as the red moon was visible. “ _All is set…time to right the wrongs of history and be the Hero this world needs!_ ”

Priestess and her comrades watched from the nearby trees, as the bandits took hold of one of the women and dragged her screaming toward the stone altar.

“What do you think?” Half-Demon Thief looked back to see the other bandits surrounding the remaining captives.

“We need to get to the other capture women, secure their safety then get the last one on the altar.” Priestess could see them binding her to the alter, not sure what they intended to do, but knew it was not good. “I’ll cast Holy Light from here, then you and warrior can attack the bandits, that will allow me and cleric to get to the captives…then we can focus our attention on the wizard.”

All three looked toward Priestess with wide eyes, making her look at them with a look of concern about her face.

“Did…is that bad?”

“Bad, that’s brilliant!” Half-Demon Thief smiled brightly.

“I’m just surprised at how fast you came up with that plan.” Apprentice Cleric smiled as well.

“All that time being with a silver rank adventurer really has paid off.” Rookie Warrior tightened his grip around his new sword reassured by its weight.

They suddenly heard a scream and watched as the Dark Wizard used a knife to start cutting the woman bound on the altar.

“No time to waste, let’s put your plan into motion.” Half-Demon Thief drew out both daggers and readied herself to attack the moment they were blinded. “ _This is it…she warned me of this moment. I don’t know what exactly happened to her, but I swear I’ll do everything I can to help you._ ”

xxxx

Dark Wizard smiled as he raked the blade across the girls throat, cutting so deep he nearly decapitated the girl. The blood was flowing and already pooling into the stone indentions in the ground, in a few moment, he pass through the time gate and appear in the Hero’s village and the moment she was slain he’d step forward and the new Hero the world rightfully deserved.

“Holy Light!”

A burst of white light flooded the area forcing everyone to shield their eyes as they cried out in pain. Dark Wizard partially blinded by the light turned toward the men and the captives and could vaguely make out four figures charging forward. Two of which quickly went to work attacking the men he paid while the others two went for the captives. He growled as he held the knife in his hands, ready to attack or use his spells the moment he could clearly see again, but something caught his attention before that, the stone indentions where he was standing began to glow with a red light.

“ _It’s almost here! Just focus your thoughts on that Hero! Very soon I’ll…_ ”

Before he could finish that thought, something struck him knocking him out of the stone indentions. Half-Demon Thief rushed forward, tackling the wizard and watched as he rolled away from the altar, she stood ready with daggers to attack should he try anything, completely oblivious of the red glow around her. Priestess and the other two immediately went about freeing the captives while Half-Demon Thief went after the wizard.

“Thank you.” The woman with long brown hair sniffed as tears ran down her face.

“We’ll get you back to your sister.” Priestess smiled as she nodded her head toward this young woman.

Priestess then rushed toward the altar in spite of seeing the glowing red light to tend to the final captive, she was distraught to find the poor girl dead, but before she could ponder any further she was pulled away. She turned with wide eyes to see Half-Demon Thief dragging her away toward the grass in a frantic manner.

“Wait…the girl!”

“It’s too late, you know that and look there!”

Priestess turned and finally notices the red glowing light that surrounded the altar glowing brighter and brighter. Dark Wizard slowly pushed himself up to see the bright red light, there was still time for him to enter the time gate. Half-Demon Thief saw this and instantly recalled what she was told, with daggers in hand she threw both of them with all her might, the first stabbing through the wizard’s throat and the second hitting him in the chest. Dark Wizard stumbled backwards a bit, the pain in his body overwhelming as he could feel the blood running down his body. He tore both blades out of his body holding his throat, lurched forward toward the light, the others could only look on with wide eyes.

“No…my…my plan.” Dark Wizard coughed up some blood before he fell forward with his arm stretched out mere inches from the stone altar.

The bright red light flashed and in an instant the forest was calm once again. The adventurers and the captives looked on with wide eyes, not sure just what happened, but for now the threat had passed. Priestess and Apprentice Cleric went to retrieve the body of the one girl they had not been able save while Rookie Warrior reassured the others they would be going back to the village shortly. Half-Demon Thief went about retrieving her weapons, wiping the blood from them before she sheathed them. She looked down at the corpse of the wizard, hopeful that everything they had done that night was the correct choice then she looked further back and found the black tome and remembered the final instruction given to her. She calmly picked up the book and then walked toward the fire the bandits had been using and tossed it into the flames.

“Wait, why are you destroying the book?” Rookie Warrior was confused by this sudden action.

“Spells that require the loss of innocent life are atrocious, they should not be recreated.” Half-Demon Thief smiled as she looked toward Priestess. “Let’s get them back home.”

“Yes.” Priestess smiled and as she nodded toward her friend.

The party and the captives calmly walked away from the forest to head back toward the village. The black tome continued to burn until the final ashes blew away in the wind.

Back at the Guild, Half-Demon Thief found herself looking up at the red moon, wondering if she should have gone on this quest with them to ensure its success. Even now she was nervously looking around to see if there would some other kind of light just as what had happened after she and Priestess had saved his village.

“ _His family…he still has his friend and Wolf, but that precious daughter…if all goes as it should I’m sure he’ll have the opportunity to have a child of his own…and perhaps I will be the one to help him achieve that goal, or rather this world’s version._ ” Half-Demon Thief smiled as she closed her eyes. “ _I…I am curious to know what his sister sent him, but that is something meant for him._ ”

She suddenly felt very strange, she looked down at her body and noticed it was beginning to disappear. At first, she was scared then a wave of calmness washed over her as she realized that her other self had been successful.

“ _It would make sense…there is no world for me to return to if that time doesn’t exist. Thank you…please treasure the friendship you have my sister._ ” Half-Demon Thief smiled as a single tear rolled down her face.

She smiled as she looked up toward the night sky one last time before her body vanished, the only remaining trace of her was the tear drop that landed on the roof but soon that too would fade away.

xxxx

The Gods looked toward the board, some in shock, some at peace, but for Chaos a scowl crossed his face as he saw the log that spoke of this world burn as the world could no longer exist.

“ _This…this can’t be._ ”

“ _We have let the dice roll, we do not influence their outcome only react to them._ ” Illusion had a small smile on her face as she looked toward Chaos.

Chaos growled in frustration then sighed as he calmed himself and smirked before walking away.

“ _My world of chaos might not have succeeded this time, but I can wait…my time will come again._ ”

The Gods all watched this and they too dispersed as they had other matters to attend to. Earth Mother smiled as she looked back at the familiar board then looked over toward Truth to see his examining the log of events. She walked toward him to speak in private so that the others would not hear their conversation.

“ _I must admit, I was quite surprised to see you whisper to Beast Master, coercing him to aid my little one. Is this why you didn’t stop me from seeing my little one?_ ”

“ _I merely put the suggestion into his mind…the choice was completely up to him._ ”

“ _Why though? I thought you had a certain disdain for the one piece who controls his own outcomes? In the Chaos timeline, he would have eventually fallen._ ”

Truth was silent for a moment as he turned to look toward the board then back toward Earth Mother.

“ _I will not allow some small chance of fate be the one to defeat him. It will be peril of my own design that finally stops him._ ”

“ _I see, so this is a contest of egos between you and Chaos._ ”

“ _I have no idea what you are speaking of…now I have a game to observe._ ”

While the other gods were talking Chaos still found himself fuming over what had transpired, then found the God of Wisdom nervously looking toward the board then looking away as if lost in deep thought.

“ _What’s troubling you? Are you not happy like the others that my world has crumbled?_ ”

“ _Quite the opposite in fact, in your world an individual I imparted wisdom too did not exist. In this world…he is still alive._ ”

“ _What should that matter?_ ”

“ _You know I give out wisdom to those who seek it?_ ”

“ _True, and often times you do this to individuals who are far from deserving and you watch as they destroy themselves. What makes this time any different?_ ”

“ _This one I gave wisdom to sometime ago…he may very well be on his way to becoming a dark god himself._ ”

“ _What’s that?_ ”

“ _Very soon…the world of chaos you yearn for may come to this world. Something worse than the resurrection of the Dark Lord or the insatiable horde of the Lich Queen. I fear that a simple act of amusement may have doomed this world so much so that even the Hero may not be able to stop it._ ”

xxxx

The next day as Priestess and the rest of her party had returned, many of the adventurers and those around the countryside felt a strange presence wash over them.

“Are you okay?” Spearman placed both hands of Witch’s shoulders.

“I am…why so concerned?” Witch was slightly started by his sudden burst of emotion that a light blush crossed her face.

“I…I had this terrible dream that I had lost you. I woke this morning worried that you would not be here, I’m relieved that you are okay. I…I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t by my side.” Spearman found himself gazing into her yellow eyes and gasped as he now turned away now blushing himself.

Witch was stunned by this but soon smiled as she took his hand in her and gently squeezed as she rested her head against his shoulder. Guild Girl was indeed surprised by this but too felt relieved to see everyone was okay, for some odd reason she was so worried that Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric would not be returning from this quest.

“Tell me, did…did that person I spoke with yesterday come back.” Half-Demon Thief nervously looked around the guild hall.

“I’m afraid not, she slipped out of the room without me noticing and I haven’t seen her since. Who was she if you don’t mind my asking?”

“She…she was my sister. She had come to say hello and I was hoping to spend more time with her, but I’m thinking that won’t be the case.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that, hopefully you’ll be able to see her again soon.”

“I’m not sure of that, but if nothing else I need only look in a mirror and I’ll see her there.” Half-Demon Thief smiled as she looked out the window towards the bright sky.

The bell above the door jingled and all eyes found a girl in a martial arts uniform enter, her hair tied up in a bundle. Priestess gasped when she saw this person, the last time she had seen her was two years ago, back then she had a confident look about her face, now she nervously looked around then toward the front desk.

“Good morning. Oh, I do believe I’ve seen you before.” Guild Girl studied the girl and soon realized it was the Fighter who had been a part of Priestess group.

“Yes. I’ve…I’ve wallowed in self-pity long enough; I felt this urge to come back and right the wrongs and help others.” The young girl, Fighter, still nervous as she looked around the guild hall then locked eyes with Priestess. “It’s you…you continued being an adventurer?”

“Yes.” Priestess rushed to embrace her former party member. “I’m partnered with the one who came and saved us that day.”

“I see, I’m glad you are doing well.” Fighter soon took notice of the steel tag around her neck. “ _She’s moved up so much from then. She’s moved past what the goblins did to us._ ”

“I…I want to reregister as an adventurer. My last experience has humbled me and I’m ready to learn from that to better myself.” Fighter smiled weakly.

“My party…the one led by Goblin Slayer, does regularly go on goblin slaying quests.” Priestess smiled, though she was worried about what that might do to Fighter.

“Goblins…” Fighter involuntarily shook as she heard that word. “I’m…I’m not quite ready to deal with them so soon.”

“Then you can partner with us.” Rookie Warrior extended his hand toward her. “For the longest time we went on nothing but rat slaying quests but were ready to slowly move past that.”

“It’d be nice to have another girl to speak with for sure.” Apprentice Cleric smiled as well.

“I’d like that very much, thank you.” Fighter smiled as she shook hands with Rookie Warrior.

“Very soon, these four will be moving up a level so they’ll be bringing quite the experience to the table.” Guild Girl added with a bright smile.

“Wait…does that mean?” Rookie Warrior’s eyes were wide with excitement.

“We’ll be having promotion exams very soon, and I’m confident that each of you, Wolf included will be moving up.”

“Alright!” Rookie Warrior jumped as high as he was able.

“Woohoo!” Apprentice Cleric joined him as well.

The others around them smiled at this. Fighter’s face slowly lit up as she realized that she would be partner with people around her age and capable ones at that. Her friend would be here as well and it seemed that they would be able to partner again, even if it was temporary. She would not make the same mistakes as before, she would not go in overconfident, and she planned on getting better equipment this time.

“ _Perhaps I should see if the blacksmith has any spiked gauntlets for me. That way I can still use my current skills but have a better form of offense and defense._ ”

Priestess smiled as she found an old friend returning and was surrounded by her current friends and comrades. Still in the back of her mind there was concern for Goblin Slayer, she too looked toward the window and the bright sky and smiled praying for his safe and speedy return.

**Author’s Note: Finally! I…am…finished!!! This has to be the longest chapter yet, but I felt this all needed to be put into one grand finale to the story. Though it was a bit dark at time (more like extremely dark) we have finally gotten back to our original timeline!**

**The mistakes of the past have been corrected and I’m free to move forward with the Dragon Daughter/Werewolf(Name pending)/Wraith Arcs. I still have a plan to thrown in another separate arc for our group of young adventurers, Fighter included, where they’ll have to deal with a vampire lord (though I have to carefully plan that out). There will be no further time travel arcs, they are a major pain in the ass to work with, lesson learned.**

**And as for what Chaos and Wisdom were talking about…you’ll just have to wait and see, but know that I plan to sprinkle hints of this into every arc that comes out. Alright guys, give me about a week to start planning out the next chapter…assuming I’m suddenly hit with an arrow of inspiration, the next chapter will be out within a week or two. Thanks again to everyone following the story.**


	40. Chapter 40

Deep within the cave they laughed as they drank their stolen wine, they tiny green hands tearing at the roasting carcass of the horse. The horde managed to ambush a merchant wagons a few days ago, this along with their theft of the livestock at the nearby village had given the goblins a sense of confidence. Around the small fire, the six goblins huddled around the fire as they celebrate their recent victories, unaware of the four figures that watched them from the shadows after all…their scouts at the entrance of the cave had not come to warn them.

“Six goblins, three clubs, one ax, two short swords. We strike at once.”

In a quick blur of movement, Goblin Slayer and Lizard Priest rushed forward while two arrows and a single large rock flew forward. The six goblins were slow to react as Goblin Slayer and Lizard Priest quickly dispatched three of the goblins while High Elf Archer and Dwarf Shaman took care of the rest. Wolf followed with them growling as he looked over the area, but soon stopped once he saw there were no further goblins threatening his pack.

“That makes eight.”

“I must say Milord Goblin Slayer, it is a welcome change to be going after the little devils after the trouble we had dealing with the undead.”

“I don’t think all of us are as eager to be going back to hunting goblins there Scaly.” Dwarf Shaman grimaced as he looked behind him to see the uncomfortable elf.

High Elf Archer shuddered involuntarily as she could still feel the cold goblin blood staining her body, the stench of it was nearly too much for her to endure.

“Damn it Orcbolg…I’ve told you before we need to find something else to hide our scents.” High Elf Archer glared at Goblin Slayer.

“They have an excellent sense of smell, it was necessary.”

“Necessary or not, I’m still unhappy with this.”

“Understood.”

Goblin Slayer bent down to examine the goblin, checking their weapons, temped to take one of their clubs then stopped himself as he looked down toward his side and saw the mace he procured from the Lich Queen’s castle. This, along with the sword he had taken, had been far better than the standard goblins weapons he had been using, he still worried about goblins taking them, but had taken far better care to not lose any of them in his recent quests.

“How many more do you think are left Beardcutter?”

“ _How impatient they are beloved, if they had not been here to slow you down, you would have dealt with this nest so much sooner. Those that hinder you should be removed…don’t you agree beloved?_ ”

“ _I might have been able to move faster if…no! I must not think such things._ ” Goblin Slayer grunted as he stood once again, forced to place a hand on his left shoulder as the pain flared up.

“You alright Orcbolg?”

“Fine. Nothing to worry about. This nest is small, there were no reports of abducted women, so there should not be many left…ten at most, plus their leader.”

Goblin Slayer and his party moved further into the caves, there in a large opening in the cave they came across seven other goblins wickedly chuckling as they looked over their new weapons stolen from the merchant wagon. They had opted to take these weapons in lieu of the wine their brothers had taken instead. Nearby was a large hobgoblin who too smiled as he carefully looked at the shine coming off the brand new blade in his hands.

“That looks like the last of them. Should we strike Beardcutter?”

“Let’s go!”

With a mighty shout the four adventurers leapt forward to assault the surprised goblins. Two of the goblins sneered when the caught sight of the female elf, their minds immediately thinking of pleasure, instead of focusing on the fight and were the first to fall, an arrow piercing each of their heads. Dwarf Shaman used his sling to launch forward a rock which easily crushed a goblin skull and, in their confusion, used his ax to slash at another goblin. Lizard Priest slashed left and right with his Dragontooth Blade at the goblins, their shiny weapons useless against this veteran adventurer. One goblin screamed in horror at the sight of the massive black wolf charging directly at him right before its jaws snapped shut around its small neck.

Goblin Slayer rushed forward to engage the hobgoblin, but this massive beast was hardly scared of this one adventurer as he raised his large sword to defend himself. Goblin Slayer, having drawn out both his weapons by this point swung with his right hand, the hand holding the mace, towards the hobgoblins sword. There was a horrendous crash and the moment he struck the blade it shattered before the hobgoblin. The hobgoblin, left in utter shock, did not see Goblin Slayer then correct his balance to swing low with his sword and cut his feet off. The hobgoblin bellowed as it fell backwards, it struggled to rise then shuddered as the image of the Goblin Slayer with his two eyes ablaze in the darkness towered over him.

“You’ll make fifteen.”

Goblin Slayer raised his mace high, then brought it down upon the screaming hobgoblin, crushing his skull with a sickening crunching sound. The hobgoblin’s body involuntarily twitched as Goblin Slayer looked over the remains. He tightened his grip around both weapons, his rage had not yet subsided, even now he still felt the need to kill.

“I’m not seeing any more. Another successful hunt wouldn’t you say Milord Goblin Slayer?”

“I don’t know if successful is the right word to use, but this cave is now clear, and all goblins have been dealt with. Let’s get out of here Orcbolg.”

Goblin Slayer could still feel the hatred eating away at him, only when he was killing did he feel at ease. In his head he could hear a voice compelling him to keep killing, those behind him were growing bothersome and the voice was telling him to silence their useless chatter…but this voice did not sound like the Lich Queen. He suddenly felt something brush up against him, he turned toward his right and saw Wolf looking toward him with head slightly turned, this quickly brought him back to his senses.

“Yes…we’re done here.” Goblin Slayer let out a heavy sigh as he sheathed both weapons and rejoined his comrades.

“ _You hear it don’t you beloved? The voice telling you to slay all that stands in your way? That is the voice of the darkness that will soon consume you. I merely wish you to become mine that much sooner, though I do not approve of them hindering you beloved._ ”

Goblin Slayer was silent as he and the others exited cave, once outside the cave, High Elf Archer insisted they find a nearby stream and wash off the goblin blood.

“I am not about to return to the village reeking of this foul liquid!”

Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest chuckled, though Goblin Slayer remained silent, as the group set out to find the stream, thankfully with the winter near its end and the snow melting, the water was freely flowing. It took several washes, but she finally managed to wash most of the blood off his clothing and got it off her hair and body. Once satisfied, the party proceeded toward the village to report the elimination of the goblin nest. With his party’s help he had cleared both goblin quests and now it was time to return home.

“Alright Beardcutter, we’ve taken care of these two nests, so will you now tell us why you’ve been acting so odd lately?”

“The dwarf’s right, you’ve been much colder than normal for this last month, so what’s troubling you?”

Goblin Slayer was silent as he walked along with his party, their eyes on him as they waited for a response, yet he merely looked ahead. He debated telling them about the stab wound her received and how the Lich Queen had attached herself to him. During those three weeks he had been dealing with the goblin nests, he had inquired at the villages if anyone knew of any type of treatment for a curse. Most had no idea what to do, others had recommended medicinal herbs or seeking aid from magic users who specialized in healing spells.

“ _If that were the case, when my wounds were healed at the fortress, the curse should have been removed. The herbs I’ve taken are as effective as a healing potion, but have done nothing to undo this curse._ ”

“ _How cruel beloved, trying to remove me after I’ve admitted to you how deeply in love with you I am. I even told you the other night that I did not wish to see you suffer anymore._ ”

“Milord Goblin Slayer.”

“Sorry…lost in thought. Nothing is wrong.” Goblin Slayer knew there was nothing they could do at this point, all he could do himself was fight the influence for as long as he could.

The others looked toward him, hardly convinced by his response when Wolf suddenly stopped in his tracks, his head up turning left and right. The others saw this too and quickly stopped, placing their hands on their weapons, readying themselves to defend if need be. Wolf was not acting in an aggressive manner as his ears twitched ever so slightly.

“What do you hear?” Dwarf Shaman looked toward High Elf Archer as he knew Wolf would not be able to respond.

“I hear…it sounds like the groans of someone close by. It could be someone in danger?” High Elf Archer eyes were wide as he said this.

“It could also be a trap Long-Ears, someone luring us out with fake sounds.”

“Still we should investigate this matter Sir Mage.”

“Let’s go. Wolf.”

The dire wolf gave a quick bark then bounded off toward the sounds of distress. The others quickly followed, though having the leave the relative safety of the road, and moving deeper into the woods. Wolf soon came to a stop as he cautiously observed the figure before him, the others also stopped, but for them it was because the figure lay upon the ground with blood around their body. The figure had a rather thin, athletic frame, attached to her back were two large, yet tattered reptilian wings.

“Good heavens.”

The figure groaned, their claws hands tearing at the ground as they struggled to move, she slowly picked up her head straining her green, reptilian eyes to focus on the people before her. Though her face appeared human, atop her head were two large purple horns that protruded through her long pink hair.

“What is she…demon?” High Elf Archer conflicted in whether to help immediately.

“No…she is a Half-Dragon.” Lizard Priest instantly rushed forward to help turn her over.

High Elf Archer and Dwarf Shaman also rushed forward to aid, while Goblin Slayer and Wolf slowly approaching toward them. The Half-Dragon was confused as the lizardman, elf and dwarf were coming to her aid, but all that changed the moment she laid eyes upon the man in armor; her eyes wide at first, they soon narrowed as she growled in frustration.

“I will tend to these injuries imme…” Before he could finish watched as the Half-Dragon suddenly leapt up and charged toward Goblin Slayer.

With a roar she slashed as twice at Goblin Slayer who quickly backed away until she finally tackled him to the ground before he could get hold of his weapons. She raked her claws across his chest, leaving deep gouges in his chest plate.

“You damn human! Why did you attack us? What have we done to you?” Half-Dragon, still growling, as she raised her right clawed hand to strike once again.

She suddenly heard the growling of a large animal and he looked up saw the large black dire wolf stalking toward her. She opened her mouth and out a came a small burst of fire that caused Wolf to back away, still growling as he prepared to attack this woman. That quick burst of fire though, drained the last of the Half-Dragon’s strength as she stumbled backwards groaning as she practically curled up into a ball from the pain.

Lizard Priest immediately went to aid the Half-Dragon female while High Elf Archer and Dwarf Shaman went about getting Goblin Slayer back to his feet. Wolf continued to growl, but High Elf Archer managed to get him under control by slowly patting his side.

“Easy Wolf, you alright Orcbolg?” High Elf Archer, keeping a hand on Wolf, turned toward Goblin Slayer.

“Fine.” Goblin Slayer’s response was dispassionate as ever, though it did carry a hint of annoyance.

“Let’s get you up Beard…Beardcutter, you’re bleeding!” Dwarf Shaman noticed the fresh blood that stained his armor.

Goblin Slayer looked down at his body, he felt no pain from anywhere on his body, save his shoulder, and quickly came to a shocking realization.

“It’s not mine.”

High Elf Archer and Dwarf Shaman suddenly looked over toward the Half-Dragon and saw the deep cuts along her body. Her arms, torso, and legs showed signs of a severe beating she received as the blood ran from every wound. Lizard Priest quickly went to work placing his hand upon the young Half-Dragon and chanting his spell for Refresh.

“Gorgosaurus, beautiful though wounded, may I partake in the healing in your body…Refresh.”

A glowing light surrounded every wound along her body and in mere moments, she was healed. The female Half-Dragon slowly opened her eyes, the pain was gone from her body and as she slowly sat up looked up toward Lizard Priest who had a big smile on his face.

“You…you healed me? Why?” She looked at him with unsure eyes.

“It is the duty of an adventurer to aid those in need. It is also an honor to aid one who is much closer to being a dragon than I.” Lizard Priest bowed his head toward the Half-Dragon.

There was a small smile on her face, she was still unsure of why he had helped, but was grateful none the less. They both heard the footsteps of someone approaching and as they turned saw the man in bloody armor, Goblin Slayer approaching. Half-Dragon once again began to growl as the man drew near, but was still tired from the earlier attacks, she glared at the man who stopped a few inches from her and the lizardman.

“Milord Goblin Slayer…you are unharmed yes?” Lizard Priest curiously looked toward his comrade.

Half-Dragon was immediately caught off guard by the lizardman acknowledging this human, she then looked back toward the human and saw his reach for something behind his back, she immediately suspected he was going for a weapon.

“ _Beloved…this wretched creature dared to harm you! She should be punished for her crimes, had I the body I would gladly avenge you myself. She must pay!_ ”

“Here.” Goblin Slayer held a small vial containing a yellowish liquid, a stamina potion.

Half-Dragon looked toward the vial, then looked back toward Goblin Slayer not trusting this man before her. Lizard Priest nodded his head and took the stamina potion and then offered it to the still weakened Half-Dragon.

“Rest assured, this stamina potion will get you back on your feet momentarily. You can trust Milord Goblin Slayer.”

Half-Dragon looked back toward the armored human, no longer growling but far from trusting this man, then looked back toward Lizard Priest and nodded her head. She took the stamina potion and, in a few moments, could feel the effect as she was able to stand once again; as she stood, the others could finally get a good look at her body. Purple scales covered most of her body, though her midsection, shoulders, neck and face retained a human appearance. The scales themselves served as her clothing as they carefully hid her medium-sized breasts and covered her nether regions. Her hands and feet were quite large and resembled Lizard Priest’s, behind her lower back was a long tail, though much thinner than Lizard Priest’s.

“Thank you.”

“You are most welcome. Can you tell us what happened? Who attacked you?” Lizard Priest was quite concerned as to what could have happened to this young woman.

“It was men…they attacked me and my daughter!” Half-Dragon glared at Goblin Slayer as she spat her venous statement. “Like lizardmen, we do not fare wellin the cold and that weakness forced me to drop my guard.”

“Men…wait you said your daughter?” Dwarf Shaman was stunned by this as he quickly looked around the area but could see no one else. “I don’t see her around her, was she…”

“Yes, taken as a trophy. The spoils of their conquest by those disgusting creatures. They took her away screamed and loaded her upon into a cage upon a wagon.” Half-Dragon once again glared at Goblin Slayer. “You damn humans despise that which does not look or act the way you do. I’ve tried to live my life in peace, keeping my daughter safe and yet you come here and attack with no other reasons than your enjoyment and disgust at our appearance.”

“Wait a minute, Orcbolg may be human like those that attacked you, but he is no monster…though he may look like one from time to time.”

“She’s right, Beardcutter here looks out for others, making sure to protect those who are in need of it.”

“It was humans who killed my mate shortly after my daughter was born! It was humans who attacked us now! A few good humans cannot undo the sins of their race.” Half-Dragon face began to soften as she started to cry. “My daughter is gone, I don’t even know where to begin looking.”

“Then we shall help you.” Lizard Priest gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You’ll…you’ll help me?” Half-Dragon turned to see both Dwarf Shaman and High Elf Archer smiling and nodding toward her. “But I have nothing to offer in return for your assistance.”

“You have a child in need of rescue, there is no payment required of any us.” Lizard Priest smiled.

Before Half-Dragon could say anything else she noticed Goblin Slayer walking past her carefully scanning the area from left to right. She turned and frowned at this man, still unsure if he would be willing to help as the others had mentioned. The others watched his silently until they noticed him bend a knee and retrieve something from the bushes. Within his hand was a small blood-stained dagger, Half-Dragon instantly tensed up as she recalled one of the humans using that to stab her side, but then saw him call for the large dire wolf. The dire wolf calmly walked over and began to sniff at the blade held out towards it, it did this for several seconds before raising its head and looking around, it proceeded to sniff along the ground then paused as it raised its head and gave a deep bark.

“He has their scent.” Goblin Slayer tucked the blade into his belt as he walked toward the others stopping once in front of the Half-Dragon. “How long ago was it when you were attacked?”

“Uh, it must have been a couple hours.”

“If they left by wagon then they have a good start. We mustn’t waste any more time.”

Half-Dragon was shocked by this, but the rest of his party smiled as Goblin Slayer was starting to sound more like his old self. Before the party took off, Wolf calmly walked up toward the Half-Dragon and looked up at her, Half-Dragon was cautious and unsure of what the dire wolf was doing.

“I believe our companion is offering you the chance to ride him. This will give you an opportunity to recover more of your strength.” Lizard Priest nodded his head in approval.

Half-Dragon cautiously mounted the dire wolf, this creature had growled at her just a few moments ago but was nevertheless thankful for the ride. Wolf gave a howl and charged forward with the others running afterwards each hoping they would reach this stolen child in time.

xxxx

Elsewhere, a caravan of four large wagons made their way down the road, on each wagon were an assortment of cages housing various animals; the men aboard the wagons wickedly laughed as they drank their ale. Upon the front wagon were two men who snickered as they reminisced about the past and their current acquisition. The one handling the reigns was a short, bearded man dressed in a rather simple hempen shirt and hood. The other was a taller, younger man, clean shaved and rather well built.

“Can you believe this? We managed to acquire so many of these damn monsters for the games. We’ll be set for life!” The bearded Animal Wrangler smiled as he looked back toward the captured animals.

“Now hold on their, remember that not all of these grotesque monstrosities are for the games, some like the gargoyle and harpy are to be used by the guy my brother has been working for.” The Younger Monster-Tamer sneered as he looked at the sickly creatures they had captured over the last few days on the road.

“By the way, what did your brother do with that werewolf he caught some time ago?”

“Oh yeah, my brother got pretty lucky on that one. Turns out some other adventurers were hired to kill it and all he had to do was piggyback off them and capture it. He already sold it to that man I mentioned, hell if I know what he wants with a werewolf, probably ate it for all I know.” Younger Monster-Tamer smirked as he wondered what his older brother was up to at the moment.

“Like you said, it’s none of our concern what that madman does with these things so long as we get paid.”

“Exactly my friend and with our most recent capture, that one will fetch quite a high price indeed.”

“Why didn’t we take the other one too?”

“That one was far too vicious. You saw how it injured two of the men, even thought it had sustained such deep wounds from out attacks. Besides, it would have died on the journey for sure and we’d have to get rid of the body, no it was smarter the take the smaller one. There are not many Half-Dragons around these days, many would assume they’re a myth, but now we have one.”

“When we sell it, what do you think they’ll do with it?”

“Maybe use it as a slave, or keep it as a pet, wouldn’t you want your own dragon trained from childhood to serves and protect you? Hell, maybe they’re roast it and serve dragon steaks from it’s flesh…that does sound rather tasty now that I think about it.”

“You hear that? Think of all the wonderful things that you’ll become once they kill you!” Beast-Tamer wickedly laughed as he looked back toward the cage containing the small child.

In the cold metal change, she cringed with every bump on the road and with every sound of their wicked laughter. She curled her body into a ball, clutching as her legs and tail, while he wings wrapped around her small body. Tears still present in her eyes though she stopped sobbing, her cries only brought out more laughter from these wicked men or angry shouts for her to be silent. This morning she had been out gathering food with her mother when they attacked, the cold had weakened them both and the sight of the men stabbing and cutting her mother was too much for her to take.

“ _Is mama still alive? Will she come and help me? I don’t want to die, but…I’m more afraid of all the things they will do to me. Please…someone come and save me._ ”

**Author’s Note: Sorry for the delay there, trying to plan out the next few stories in the series, they may not be as long as the Lich Queen Arc, but will hopefully be as entertaining. You all can probably guess which anime I’m drawing inspiration from in terms of the Dragon Mother and Daughter and we get a bit more reference to what will be coming in the future arcs. Give me your best guesses on what’s coming, and I’ll let you know in the next chapter who is on the right track.**


	41. Chapter 41

“Come on dwarf! Keep up!” High Elf Archer frowned as she watched her comrade stop by a nearby tree to catch his breath.

“Give us a moment there Long-Ears. We dwarves are natural sprinters of course…very dangerous at a short distance.” Dwarf Shaman placed his hand along the tree to support himself as he struggled to catch his breath. “We’ve been running for a quite some time, and I am unfortunately not built to keep up with the rest of you.”

“Think of it as a way to lose some of that gut.”

“Bah, better to be a barrel than a stick…or should I say anvil?” Dwarf Shaman smiled as he looked toward his comrade.

“Don’t start with me dwarf!” High Elf Archer fumed as she crossed her arms to cover her chest.

The others saw this and for Lizard Priest he could not help but chuckle, Goblin Slayer was silent as ever, but Half-Dragon Mother was deeply confused by this. This group had willingly volunteered to assist in the retrieval of her daughter, these people had only just met her and were ready to aid in whatever manner. Though the state of her daughter still troubled her greatly, she did feel at ease as she heard the group talk with one another. The only one she was unsure of was the armored man, Goblin Slayer; she looked over toward him, he made no attempt to retaliate for her earlier attack against him, but could not shake the feeling that there was something evil about him.

“If need be, I could always carry you Sir Mage, or you could ride along top Wolf.” Lizard priest was ready to provide a quick solution to their minor predicament.

“We’re it just this group Scaly I’d let you, but I need to maintain some dignity. As for riding with Wolf, I don’t feel it would be proper to share the ride with our fair young lass here.” Dwarf Shaman smirked as he looked over toward Half-Dragon.

The small gesture brought a small blush to Half-Dragon Mother’s face which brought a chuckle out of everyone save Goblin Slayer and Wolf.

“Why don’t we take a few minutes to rest, then we can continue on with the pursuit.” Lizard Priest then turned toward Half-Dragon Mother and slightly bowed his head. “Rest assured, we will immediately get back to the task at hand, we will not abandon your young daughter.”

“Thank you.”

Half-Dragon dismounted Wolf to allow the large wolf to rest as well as she joined the others. Dwarf Shaman had taken a seat on the ground to help himself to a drink of his fire wine while High Elf Archer was off criticizing him. Off to the side, she could see Goblin Slayer looking around the area, staying a bit away from the group. She found Lizard Priest slightly away from the others, his eyes closed and hands brought together as she thought he was praying.

“Are you alright?”

“My apologies, I was praying to my ancestors to guide us to find your daughter and to keep her safe.” Lizard Priest smiled as he looked toward Half-Dragon Mother. “I’m more concerned for you though, how are your injuries and fatigue?”

“My injuries are fine thanks to you and with that potion I’m not as tired as I was earlier, that and riding on the dire wolf has been greatly helpful.” Half-Dragon Mother then looked around and noticed the large dire wolf laying on the ground looking toward Goblin Slayer.

“Milord Goblin Slayer is one who always comes prepared for just about any situation. I’m thankful he had the stamina potion on hand to aid in your recovery.”

“I…I still don’t trust him. He may have helped me, but that was only because you and the others were around. Had he been alone I’m sure he would have attacked and killed me like those before.”

“That is wholeheartedly untrue, Milord Goblin Slayer would not attack you. That large dire wolf there is loyal to him because he saved the poor creature, while the rest of our party was cautious about the creature, he went about breaking the chains that bound it.” Lizard Priest frowned as he heard her speak of his friend.

“Why are you so loyal to him?” Half-Dragon Mother turned back toward Lizard Priest, curious about his devotion to this human.

“That man, my friend and comrade, has saved me and the others countless times. Though he may be cold in his demeanor, he is one who will put himself in danger’s way for the sake of others. It is also because of him, that I was introduced to the delightful food known as cheese…sweet nectar.” Lizard Priest smiled as he thought about the exquisite food.

“Cheese?”

“It is quite the delicacy, after we have reunited you with your daughter, I shall treat the both of you to it back at the guild.”

“I…I’m sorry for my attitude toward your comrade. Many of the humans I’ve encountered have always treated us with violence, others with fear. I believe it is because we are seen as non-prayers and must therefore be minions of chaos. Had I met someone like this Goblin Slayer early on, then maybe I would not act so hateful.”

“I cannot begin to imagine what tribulations you and your family must have had to endure, but when you meet the rest of our party you will find them just as eager to aid you.” Lizard Priest smiled as he gently placed both hands on her shoulders. “We will find those who hurt you, rescue your daughter and make them pay.”

Half-Dragon Mother looked up at the taller lizardman, and found herself lost in his yellow eyes. He himself was doing the same as he stared at her green eyes, but soon took note of the slight blush on her face and where he had placed his hands then quickly removed them, bringing them back to his sides.

“Forgive me.” Now it was his turned to blush as he looked away, all the while trying to clear his throat.

Half-Dragon Mother smiled at his actions then calmly reached out to take hold of his hand in hers, the small action brought an even larger blush to the lizardman’s face. This did not go unnoticed as Dwarf Shaman and High Elf Archer looked on with wide smiles upon their faces.

“Bravo Scaly.” Dwarf Shaman stroked his beard then gently nudged the elf’s side. “You could learn something from her?”

“Wh, what are you talking about?” A slight blush present on her face as he did her best to keep her voice down.

“I’m just saying, perhaps you should take the lead on things, just like our lass at the guild and the one on the farm had during the fall festival, otherwise…you might end up losing something that is precious to you?” Dwarf Shaman, even the sly person, smiled as he motioned toward his other side.

High Elf Archer, at first not sure what he was implying, then looked over toward the direction he was motioning and caught sight of Goblin Slayer still looking around the area. The realization of what the dwarf was saying suddenly hit her and her face grew even redder. The sudden change in her appearance made the dwarf laugh which drew the attention of the others.

“Is something wrong Sir Mage?”

“Just seeing Long-Ears react to the fire wine, she still can’t handle more than a sip.”

“We should move before too much time is lost.” Goblin Slayer dispassionate voice called out to them. “It will be dark in a few hours. We should cover as much ground as we can before the temperature drops any further.”

“Quite correct Milord Goblin Slayer, then let us make haste!”

xxxx

That night the, the caravan of monster hunters set up camp and once again indulged themselves in ale and berating the captured animals, deeply enjoying the frightened expression on the young Half-Dragon’s face. Meanwhile, Goblin Slayer’s party wound up setting up a small camp in a clearing, they agreed to sleep for few hours then they could continue on with the pursuit, Goblin Slayer elected to stay awake and would wake them when it was time to move. Lizard Priest and Half-Dragon Mother were bundled up together with a gentle smile upon her face as she rested her head against his shoulder.

Elsewhere, deep under the city, several men in black robes moved around the sewers in this makeshift dungeon as they brought large cages filled with the bodies of giant rats and giant roaches. What was unique about these men in black robes was the unusual mask attached to their faces, a mask that resembled a bird’s beak with large glass lens for the eyes. A man with medium length brownish hair grunted as me moved past all these men and their hideous monstrosities to find the man he had been doing work with. On his way toward the “lab” he passed by several holding cells with people or various races and sexes looking rather beaten and defeated. Further ahead were the cells for the experiments, creatures he had never seen before, one growled ferociously forcing him to back away as he reached for his short sword.

“You damn…what the…”

He looked at the creature within the cell, looking at how tall it stood, easily pushing past six feet and thought he could see three faces growling at him, these faces were at different spots along the creature’s body. He soon took notice of four more of these creatures lumbering toward the front.

“Rest assured, those cells will hold my lovely Abominations, until I’m ready to unleash my demonic brood upon the streets.”

Elder Animal Tracker turned toward his right to see a tall man in similar black robes walking toward him, this man had a long thin face, pale skin and long oily black hair that went down to his mid back. As he drew closer, Elder Animal Tracker could see dark splotches all staining the man’s robes.

“ _Blood. What the hell has he been up to?_ ” He quickly dismissed the thought from his mind as he readied his package for delivery. “Do I need to be concerned about wearing one of them masks like your servants?”

“Those are for my Faceless Men, their identities are to remain unknown, even to their brothers. I have them wear those masks so they can sweep over the fields of the dead and select specimens for me to work with.”

“Like a crow picking at carrion?”

“Exactly. Now what have you brought for me today?”

Elder Animal Tracker set his package down and retrieved a glass jar containing four strange circular objects; the other took the jar and curiously looked over the contents with a wicked smile.

“What have we here?”

“I got them from a fisherman off the coast. Kraken eggs.”

“Kraken?” The other turned back toward Elder Animal Tracker.

“You said you were looking for something that could be used in water, so here you are.”

“Kraken are sea-faring creatures, I plan to use them in fresh water…but I’ll be able to make this work. I’ll take them.”

“Pleasure doing business with you.”

“What of your brother? When can I expect my next shipment of test subjects?”

“He should be here in a few short days along with the caravan? Just what the hell are you doing with all these damn monsters anyways?”

“Curious?” A smirk covered the other’s face.

“I normally keep my nose out of others business so long as the money is good, and you’ve always paid, but yeah, I’m curious.”

“Then follow me.” The other smiled wickedly, his reddish eyes had an orange glow about them in the dim torchlight.

Reluctantly, Elder Animal Tracker followed behind the other, passing more of the monstrosities until he came upon the lab as it were. In this lab were various blood stained tools, glass vials filled with mysterious liquids, and off to the side he could see a large vat or cauldron containing a bright green liquid.

“What the hell is that?”

“Life.”

“What?”

“That is the secret to life. When I was still a normal practicing magic user, my miracles could heal those who were injured, remove toxins from the body and treat sickness, but the one thing no one, not even I could do, was stop death from occurring…until now.” The other gave a sinister chuckle as he pointed forward with his gloved hands. “Would you like to see it in action?”

Elder Animal Tracker was growing nervous as he looked forward and saw two goblins strapped to wooden tables barely conscious. He looked around further and caught sight of what looked like a werewolf on another table, in fact it was the very one he had caught some time ago, but now its arms and legs were missing. The other saw the surprised look on his face and followed his gaze until he saw the werewolf.

“He’s quite alive not to worry.”

“Wha, why are his limbs gone?”

“To keep him from running away, I need him alive to produce more blood for me. Back to the matter at hand, let me show you what may even put the gods to shame.”

The other walked toward the cauldron and taking a nearby vial scooped out some of the liquid. He then walked over toward the weakened goblins and forced the liquid into their mouths and down their throats.

“Now we wait.” He smiled as he took a few steps back to join Elder Animal Tamer.

It was nearly a minute but then the goblins started to shriek, the first thrashed about violently as it began to vomit up blood before finally coming dying, its stomach began to dissolve as if consumed by a slime until the putrid guts spilled onto the floor with a sickening splat. Elder Animal Tracker covered his mouth as he felt he was on the verge of vomiting from the sight and smell.

“Not as successful as I would have wanted, but that is why I continue my research. Now how about the other?”

The second goblins thrashed about as well, but unlike the first there was a noticeable change. It’s body was extending and expanding, it’s monstrous form broke the table and as it stood, this once child-sized creature was now standing seven feet tall, as muscular as an troll, it’s skin stretched from the expansion that it now appeared almost translucent as the muscles and fat could be clearly seen. This creature’s yellow eyes focused on the two and it started to stalk toward the two, it’s forearms so long it seemed to be walking on its fists and its legs. Elder Animal Tracker nervously backed away from the monster, but the other remained still with a smile on his face as he calmly raised his right hand.

“Stop.”

The massive creature did as it was told and came to a halt, growling as it waited for the next instruction. Elder Animal Tracker was in complete shock as he watched the others calmly walk around the creature, studying its body.

“Yes, enhanced muscle mass and bone structure…reduced intelligence, but obedient. Very nice. You…my Brute, and others like you shall crush any that stand in your way. Now…go to the cell.”

The monstrous Brute grunted before turning and calmly walking into the nearby open cell, once inside a Faceless Man closed the door behind it securing the lock before returning to his normal duties.

“What…what in the name of the gods have you done?” Elder Animal Tracker grew nervous as he looked toward the other.

“I was given divine insight from the gods above and allowed to solve the ultimate question that plagues man.” The other smiled wickedly.

“What question?”

“How to restore and create life of course. By doing this research, I am well on my way to becoming what I was destined to become…very soon I shall become a god! As a normal healer I could only go so far, but now…as a Necromancer, I shall bring true chaos to this world and watch it burn.” The Deranged Necromancer threw his head back in a fit of hysterical laughter which echoed down the sewers.

xxxx

It was late in the morning, nearly lunchtime when the raiders, or monster hunters as they would have called themselves started to finally get themselves ready to move. In their long night of celebrating and sleeping, they wasted precious hours moving on toward their destination, the Capital, but this lack of time on their part would be exploited by the group of adventurers who were now setting themselves up to strike at the group.

“Hurry up you lot, we got to make up for lost time!” Younger Monster-Tamer looked around for his companion who rode on the wagon with him. “Get you fat hide out here now!”

“Hang on, let a man piss in peace!” Animal Wrangler replied hidden in the forest as he relieved himself.

Younger Monster-Tamer chuckled to himself as he thought about the payout they would receive from the large bounty. If the Necromancer would not pay for the creatures they could be sold for the games further into the desert. He suddenly paused as he caught sight of two large shadows up on the hill, soon enough the rest of his party caught sight of these figures. One was a human figure in dirty leather armor and the other beside him was a large wolf standing nearly as tall as the human.

“ _A dire wolf! I don’t know who the fool is, but the moment we kill him we can take that beast as well._ ” Younger Monster-Tamer smiled as he looked toward armored man and smiled. “Good morning there friend what can we do for you? I don’t suppose you’d be willing to sell us that dire wolf?”

“You have a young child taken prisoner; you will release her.” The armored man’s voice was dispassionate, cold in his response.

Half-Dragon Daughter heard what the person said and she cautiously looked toward the top of the hill and saw this person and the wolf; initially she was scared of this figure as he appeared to be another human and she worried about what he and the wolf would do to her if they got hold of her.

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about, we have no such girl just animals and monsters. Even if we did have such a person, they would be a spoil of war, we are not obliged to just surrender goods. I would recommend that you just leave your dire wolf there and walk away before we kill you.”

Goblin Slayer looked back at the caravan of men, fifteen men that he could see mostly armed with sword though he did see three with crossbows ready to attack, but then caught sight of the young girl through the bars of her cage, the girl’s bright green eyes much like her mother’s, and clenched his fists at the state she was in.

“We’re going Wolf.” Goblin Slayer took hold of his sword as the large dire wolf growled as he barred his teeth toward the men below.

Just before the with the crossbows could fire, the closest man was struck in the head by an arrow. The other two men looked around nervously but then they too were struck by arrows. In the confusion of the attack, several figures rushed forward from the forest and Goblin Slayer and Wolf charged forward. The panicked men did there best to defend themselves, but they were easily overpowered by the strength and ferocity of the lizardman and the surviving half-dragon. Younger Monster-Tamer nervously looked around the area watching as the number of raiders in his party had been reduced by half, in a panic he ran toward the nearby cages and quickly started opening the cages, hopeful the wolves they had caught would attack his attackers. Unfortunately, many of the wolves scattered with only three of them charging forward to attack those before them, one of which was another one of his own men.

“ _This…this can’t be happening, who the hell are these guys? Why are they so damn persistent about this little brat?_ ” He quickly caught sight of the Half-Dragon Mother burning one of his men with her fire breath and realized what he needed to do.

He quickly, went to the cage where the young girl was and quickly opened the cage, the young girl backed as far away as possible but the horrid man got hold of her head and pulled as she cried out in pain.

“Get over here you damn beast!” Younger Monster-Tamer held the young crying child close toward him, pointing his sword towards her small body.

Younger Monster-Tamer suddenly looked up to see the group of adventurers glaring at him, the rest of his men slain. He back further up toward the wagons as the adventurers moved closer with weapons drawn, but would not do anything the endanger the young girl.

“That’s far enough! You come any closer, and I’ll kill this animal.”

“She is no animal…that is what you are.” Lizard Priest tightly clenched his dragontooth blade.

“Give me back my child!”

“That’s not happening. You’ve killed my men, put me behind schedule, and I’m not about to walk away from this with nothing!”

High Elf Archer glared at this man, how dare he endanger the young girl, but thankfully his attention was on Lizard Priest and Half-Dragon Mother, which meant she could act. She let loose her arrow which flew forward and struck the cruel human in the left shoulder, making his cry out in pain and releasing his grip on the girl who quickly ran away. Half-Dragon Mother charged forward and then tackled the man the ground snarling as she raised her clawed hand high. Dwarf Shaman and High Elf Archer themselves rushed forward to tend to the young crying child.

“No, no, no, please don’t kill me! I…I never meant to hurt you! I…I wasn’t going to hurt the girl, I swear!” Younger Monster-Tamer nervously stammered as tears ran down his face.

“You attacked us, tortured us, left me for dead. I shall put an end to your evil seed right here and now!”

“Please…please don’t kill me! I…I’m so sorry! I’ve…I’ve learned my lesson; I’ll find a way to repent I swear!” The cruel human broke down sobbing like a child himself as he begged for his life.

Half-Dragon Mother glared at this human as she readied to attack, but then caught sight of her daughter cowering near the dwarf and elf. The look in her eyes shocked her, what did she look like to her daughter as she loomed over this man.

“ _No…she’s been through enough._ ”

Half-Dragon Mother started to lower her hand, but that was what Younger Monster-tamer was waiting for; with a hidden dagger in his left shirt, he suddenly stabbed her in stomach. Half-Dragon Mother cried out in pain as she stood and turned holding her injured stomach while the others could only look on with wide eyes. The cruel human reached for his sword and quickly stood slashing with his sword in an upward swing toward the half-dragon’s back, hopeful to cut her back but instead cut off her right wing close to the shoulder blade. Half-Dragon Mother screamed as she collapsed to the ground, the pain unbearable, her daughter broke free from the others and rushed to her mother’s side. She was distressed by her mother’s injuries when she suddenly felt an overwhelming evil presence and turned, looking up to see the crazed face of the cruel human as he raised his sword to strike at them both. Though terrified, she stood with arms outstretched in a feeble attempt to protect her mother, who turned with wide eyes to see her daughter stand before her.

“Rot in hell you…”

Before he could finish, his forearm was struck by Goblin Slayer’s sword, lopping it off at the before the elbow joint. Younger Monster-Tamer screamed as he held his bleeding stump of an arm before being struck across the face by Goblin Slayer’s left fist knocking him to the ground. Goblin Slayer looked down toward the man with the broken nose before turning his gaze upon both Half-Dragon Mother and Daughter. Despite the pain Half-Dragon Mother was in complete shock of seeing Goblin Slayer come to their rescue while her daughter was slightly terrified of this armored man looking down at her.

“Are you alright?”

Half-Dragon Daughter was complete shock of hearing this and although scared nodded her head toward the man.

“Good.”

Lizard Priest angrily stalked toward the cruel human who struggled to drag himself away until something got hold of his shirt and he was tossed aside. Now on his back, he looked up with wide eyes, blood still running down his face as he looked up at the glaring face of the lizardman.

“Pl, please…show mercy.”

“You wretched excuse of a human, you who delight in the suffering of others…I shall end you now.”

Lizard Priest raised his blade high and as he brought his arm crashing down it was stopped by Goblin Slayer who held the lizardman’s arm with both hands.

“M, Milord Goblin Slayer…what are you doing? Unhand me at once!”

“Not here.”

“What are you talking about? This man needs to be…”

“Look at the girl.”

Lizard Priest turned his head and finally saw Half-Dragon Daughter sobbing as she looked over the dwarf and elf tending to her injured mother. In that moment, Lizard Priest suddenly realized he was about to add to the turmoil those two had endured.

“I…I’m sorry Milord Goblin Slayer, I was going to let my anger get the better of me.”

“Tend to her injuries. I will deal with him.” Goblin Slayer looked toward the young girl, though in the past would not have thought twice about doing what needed to be done, but for some reason felt he needed to help this young girl.

Younger Monster-Tamer nervously looked around as the dwarf and elf went about opening all the cages, the various creatures and monsters running away in various directions. Lizard Priest used his miracle of refresh to heal the injuries of Half-Dragon Mother while her daughter looked on with wide eyes. Towering over him was the armored warrior, his red eyes shining within the darkness of his helmet, beside him was the large dire wolf. Goblin Slayer reached into his pouch and took out a white rag and proceeded to tear it into two strips before calling to the elf.

“Here.”

“What’s this Orcbolg?” High Elf Archer took the strips of cloth in her hands and looked over them curiously.

“Place those in your ears.”

“My ears…why?”

“Your hearing is very acute, you don’t need to hear what is about to happen.”

“What is about to…Orcbolg are you?”

“I will not start until you’ve all gone.” Goblin Slayer then looked down toward Wolf. “Stay with them.”

Wolf tilted its head to the side as it looked toward the armored human, but soon heard the another member of his pack call to him.

“Wolf, I require your assistance my friend.” Lizard Priest motioned with his hand for the large dire wolf to approach.

Wolf calmly walked over toward Lizard Priest and the two half-dragons. Half-Dragon Daughter hid behind her mother as the massive creature drew near and started to sniff them. Still frightened she then felt a heavy hand gently pat her back and as she looked up saw the smiling face of the lizardman.

“Fear not little one, Wolf is a gentle giant, your mother has already had the opportunity to ride upon him.”

Half-Dragon Daughter looked back toward her mother to see her smile weakly at her, she then looked up at the dire wolf and cautiously reached out pet the wolf’s snout, smiling when she saw the beast’s tail wag. Lizard Priest carefully placed both Half-Dragon’s upon Wolf’s back before they were joined by High Elf Archer and Dwarf Shaman but frowned as they looked back toward Goblin Slayer. Goblin Slayer still towered over the cowering Monster-Tamer but nodded his head for them to start moving before he took care of this cruel human. High Elf Archer sighed as she placed the torn pieces of cloth in her ears, not wanting to imagine what Orcbolg was going to do. Goblin Slayer watched as his party members moved further and further away until he could no longer see them, then allowed himself to turn back toward the cowering human.

“ _Now Beloved…let us punish this mortal. He steals things that don’t belong to him…hurts others for his own pleasure…he is no different than a goblin._ ”

“And I am Goblin Slayer.” Goblin Slayer drew out his mace, no longer fighting the dark influence that flowed through him.

“Wait…wait a moment, I can pay you!”

“Foolish mortal!” Goblin Slayer’s voice had changed, sounding demonic as his bloodlust took control. “You’re screams will be sweet music to my ears before I wipe out all the mortal races!”

“No…what…what are you?” Younger Monster-Tamer cowered in fear of the monstrous figure, so scared was he that he urinated himself.

“I…am…Death!”

Goblin Slayer brought his mace crashing down upon the screaming man crushing his skull but was not satisfied as he continued to pummel the corpse over and over. Deeper in the woods, Animal Wrangler hid from the entire fight, thankful his need to relieve himself that morning probably saved his life, but from his hiding spot saw the savagery of this man this…Goblin Slayer who laughed wickedly as the blood and tissue splattered upon his armor.

xxxx

“I…I was careless and allowed that horrid human to disfigure me.” Half-Dragon Mother frowned as she reached for her right shoulder and could feel the sore gash where her wing should have been.

Now further away from the raider camp, the party set up a small camp themselves to tend to any lingering injuries the two half-dragons had.

“It…it was my fault, I should have reacted faster to help you and your daughter.” Lizard Priest moved closer toward Half-Dragon Mother and took her hands in his. “I am glad that both of you are safe and you are not disfigured.”

“But…my wing? What kind of dragon has only one wing? I’ll never be able to fly again.”

“It’s my fault mama, I should have run away when you said so earlier. Then you wouldn’t have been hurt because of me.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, you stood to protect me when I was injured. I am so proud.” Half-Dragon Mother smiled as she looked toward her daughter.

“Indeed, you showed true courage in that moment.” Lizard Priest too smiled then realized that he was till holding Half-Dragon Mother’s hands. “Oh I’m sorry, I…I did not mean to…”

“It’s quite alright, I did not mind. You came and saved me and my daughter.” Half-Dragon Mother smiled as she reached up and gently stroked the left side of Lizard Priest’s face. “You all came to save us even though you knew nothing about us. Thank you.”

“I’m sorry, I forgot to say thank you too.” Half-Dragon Daughter bowed her head toward the party. “I had no idea there were so many nice people out there.”

“Oh yes, what about the other one, the armored human?” Half-Dragon Mother looked around but still did not see any sign human.

“I wouldn’t worry about Beardcutter. He’s just making sure everything has been taken care of.”

“Rest assured, Milord Goblin Slayer will be by in a short amount of time.”

After a few more minutes, High Elf Archer, having removed the strips of cloth long ago, caught sight of a figure slowly approaching. A smile crossed her face and the other turned to see the figure emerging from the shadow and they too smiled.

“Orcbo…”

Goblin Slayer emerged from the woods drenched in blood, so much so that part of it was dripping off his armor, the five at the camp were shocked by this as the figure drew nearer. Goblin Slayer continued to walk closer pausing only when he was close enough that his voice would be heard. He looked down at his blood stained gloves, this last thing remembered was looking at the man who tried to attack the girl then everything had gone black and when he finally came to his senses he was drenched in blood and the body before him was so mangled it would have been hard for someone to even guess the race of the individual.

“ _It had to be done beloved, he would have hurt others and you stopped that._ ”

“It, it is done.”

His voice was mechanical, yet his comrades could sense it was strained as if it was something difficult for him to say. Goblin Slayer turned his head toward the side to glance at the two half-dragons, the sight of this man in armor scared the little girl though she remembered he came to save her and her mother earlier so surely, he wasn’t evil.

“He won’t be able to hurt either of you ever again.”

The small response caught both by surprise, this human had come to save them and taken care of the one who had hurt them. Despite the seeing him covered in blood, both gratefully bowed their heads toward him to which he nodded before walking forward.

“Wh, where are you going Beardcutter?” Dwarf Shaman had not seen Goblin Slayer cat in this manner since he was attacked by the horde in the north.

“Home. I need to report on the nests we destroyed.” Goblin Slayer paused as he looked back toward the others. “Thank you for your help. I should also check in on my friend on the farm and the rest of our comrades.”

It was a slight comment but with those few words the rest of his party was happy to hear him speak of wanting to return home to check on the others. Perhaps what had transpired for these two had been hit closer to home for Goblin Slayer and now wanted to check and make sure the others were well.

“Now that sounds more like the old Orcbolg, wait up!”

“Right behind you Long-Ears!” Dwarf Shaman jogged to catch up to the two of them. “We really should get you cleaned up Beardcutter.”

“Is this a problem?”

“You drenched in blood, you’ll end up giving that poor girl nightmares.”

“Is that so? Very well then.”

Lizard Priest smiled as the banter between his comrades sounded more natural and even Wolf allowed the little one to ride upon her as her ran to catch up with the others. Lizard Priest then felt something squeeze his hand and looked down to see Half-Dragon Mother smiling back at him.

“Thank you again, for everything. If it is alright, I would very much like to continue traveling with you.”

“Of course, I did promise you and your little one cheese when we got back to town.”

“I would love to try this cheese with you.”

Lizard Priest closed his eyes and smiled when he felt something new, he opened his eyes wide to see Half-Dragon Mother tiptoe to gently kiss him upon the left side of his face. He was stunned as reddish hue crossed his face and he placed his left hand upon the left side of his face. He then felt someone grab his right hand and looked down to see half-dragon Mother smiled as she motioned for him to follow her.

“We better hurry or we’ll be left behind.”

“O, Of course…you are quite correct.”

**Author’s Note: I at first was going with a YU-NO idea in mind for Half-Dragon Mother and Half-Dragon Daughter, minus the cannibalism, but we’ve already gone through enough depressing stuff. Instead I wat to keep both around and have our characters go into their roles, Dwarf Shaman as a Grandpa, High Elf Archer and the other girls as bigger sisters for Half-Dragon Daughter (even if she’s 2000 years old I doubt our archer would like to be called grandma), Lizard Priest as a doting father, and Goblin Slayer to become to protective big brother. We are also shown some hints of what’s to come in future acrs of this story**

**The next chapter will finally have Goblin Slayer received the parcel that was left for him by his sister and allow for some more interactions between our Half-Dragons and the rest of the guild mates.**

**A guest pointed out that this story doesn’t have much to do with “howls” or “vengeance” and he/she is right. I probably should have started a second story right after the Beast Master Arc, but was worried those who had read the first part would have been lost if I just titled every different BIG Arc as a different story. I’ll go back and update the synopsis of this story, but I’m going to go ahead and keep all my chapters under the Howl of Vengeance title, I’ve come this far so why stop now.**


	42. Chapter 42

“Can you believe it? We’re finally Obsidian!”

Rookie Warrior could not help but jump for joy as he looked over his new guild tag. After careful examination, he, Apprentice Cleric, Half Demon Thief and Priestess had each gone up a rank. The others at the guild were proud of how hard these young ones had worked and now seeing them going up in the ranks was cause enough for them to celebrate.

“A round of drinks of me!” Spearman cheered as he down his ale.

He too had been in good spirits with Witch by his side, he was not sure why it took him so long to realize he had a fine woman beside him the entire time. The guild patrons gladly took him up on his offer and cheered for the young adventurer’s successful quest and rise in rank. Over by one of the large tables Cow Girl and Guild Girl happily spoke with Priestess, Half-Demon Thief and the others. There Fighter was able to learn about all that had transpired in the two years she had been away, surprised that her friend had met not one but two of the famed heroes, The Sword Maiden and the newly platinum ranked adventurer who was her own age as well.

“Congratulations.” Cow Girl gave both of her friends a gentle pat on their backs.

“Indeed, that was some quick thinking on your part, and you saved most of the captives, I’m glad that your experience with Goblin Slayer and the others has been most beneficial for you.” Guild Girl too smiled as she saw how happy her friends were with their rise in rank.

“Hard to imagine I’ve improved this much in just a short amount of time?” Priestess held her new Sapphire tag in her hands with a smile. “ _It was only last summer I moved to Steel with helping the other rookies at the training grounds. I wonder if he’ll be proud too?_ ”

Half-Demon Thief looked at her now obsidian tag, though the tag might indicate she was still at an amateurish level it signified how she had moved from being just another cold-hearted assassin to an adventurer her comrades could count on. She still had lingering thoughts about meeting another version of herself, even if she didn’t see her face directly, she knew this was something that should not have been possible.

“ _I had so many questions, and it would have been nice to have had another to talk…like a sister. I also have that parcel she asked me to give Goblin Slayer, I’ve been dying to know what’s in it, but it’s for his eyes only._ ”

It had been a few days since their adventure together and Fighter reapplied to be an adventurer and officially joining with Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric. With the morning deliveries done, Cow Girl and Snow decided it be best to stay and visit with the others, for most of them there was the unusual behavior of Goblin Slayer over the last few weeks. With the winter season nearly done, more goblins would be out, which meant he would be going out much more frequently, their hope was whatever had been bothering him had been worked out of these last few quests.

It was closer to lunch when Snow picked up her head and began to anxiously look around until her eyes were focused on the doorway. The others quickly took notice of this and they themselves anxiously watched the door to see a figure in dirty leather armor walk in followed by a large black dire wolf, right behind them came in Dwarf Shaman and High Elf Archer. Priestess and the others quickly rushed over to say their hellos and greet their friends.

“Welcome back Goblin Slayer.” Guild Girl had a bright smile upon her face as she greeted him.

“I’m glad you’re back. Is everything okay?” Cow Girl was anxious to know if her friend was better and worried if he would disappear again for such a long time.

“Everything is…fine. I’m glad to see that you are well.” Goblin Slayer, still debating to tell them about his curse, opted to not worry them since they seemed so anxious to see him.

“I’m relieved to hear that. Snow and I were waiting to see if you would be by today.”

Goblin Slayer turned to see Snow and Wolf nuzzling one another with tails wagging, before she approached him and allowed him to pet her atop the head. Goblin Slayer then took sight of the other two members of his party, they were smiling as they looked toward him, but it was their tags that caught his attention.

“You’ve risen in rank I see, both of you. Congratulations.”

Both girl’s faces lit up as they heard him praise them for the hard work, the worry they had over his strange behavior quickly vanished as they quickly conversed with the rest of their party members. High Elf Archer and Dwarf Shaman were immediately thrilled to see their comrades move up in the ranks.

“What’s this, you went and formed a new party without us and suddenly you’ve both moved up in the ranks?” Dwarf Shaman was quick to tease the two young girls.

“W, wait…it’s not like that at all.” Priestess, ever the worrisome individual, raised her hands to try to defend against the remarks.

“Oh no we get it…we were obviously holding both of you back.” High Elf Archer joined in on the teasing.

“Hey now that’s not fair! You guys took off and hogged Goblin Slayer all to yourselves, we didn’t even get to see him when he finally came back.” Half-Demon Thief frowned as she crossed her arms.

“Oh do forgive us and our selfishness.” Dwarf Shaman sarcastically raised his raised his hands to defend himself from the stare Half-Demon Thief.

“Oh wait…please don’t argue…” Priestess was nervously looked around, the situation still lost to her.

The others laughed and joked but noticed that there was still one missing member of the party.

“I don’t see our Priest. Is everything alright?” Priestess grew nervous as her friend was nowhere to be seen.

“Oh Scaly, he’s right outside. He should be coming in soon, he just had to prepare the others outside.”

“Others?”

Lizard Priest soon entered the guild but accompanying him were two female figures who cautiously looked around at all the people inside the guild hall. The journey back to town had been quite a pleasant one, but once coming into town, Half-Dragon Mother and Daughter grew increasingly nervous at the humans around them, these humans would inquisitively examine them but were quick to return to their own work. Half-Dragon Daughter squeezed her mother’s hand as they walked around, the previous humans had scared her, and the one in the armor was still a little scary to her since he never really said much.

“You have nothing to worry about.” Lizard Priest placed a gentle hand on Half-Dragon Mother’s shoulder.

Half-Dragon Mother smiled weakly toward Lizard Priest but was still cautious as she looked around.

“Good Morning and welcome. Are you a friend of our Priest?” Guild Girl was present with her bright smiling face as she greeted the two new individuals.

“Uh…yes. He and the others helped me get my daughter back from raiders.”

“Oh my goodness that sound awful, are you both okay? Why don’t you sit down over here and I’ll get you some tea.”

Both Half-Dragons were guided to a table where the sat while Guild Girl went off to make some tea as she normally would for Goblin Slayer. Both still felt rather uncomfortable as they were surrounded by so many new faces, but thankfully Lizard Priest and the others were nearby.

“So you were attacked by raiders, was it goblins?” Priestess, having spent enough time with Goblin Slayer, went with the immediate assumption.

“No, it was humans. They had captured my daughter and had her in a cage with other beasts they had caught.”

“Oh, that sounds terrible. And what happened to the raiders?” Half-Demon Thief looked toward Goblin Slayer for some sort of confirmation.

“They have been dealt with.”

Half-Dragon Daughter looked around at all the different races and people in the guild when she suddenly saw a shadow over her, she looked up to see someone’s hand approaching her head. She immediately went back to the image of that cruel man grabbing her hair and pain she felt, so she closed her eyes bracing for the same, but instead felt someone gently placed their hand upon her head and stroke her hair.

“You poor thing, you must have been terrified to be away from your mother.” Cow Girl gently stroked the girl’s soft hair in between her small purple horns. “I’m relieved to see you’re safe with your mother.”

The young girl looked up with wide eyes to see Cow Girl gently pat her head, just like her mother would when she was feeling scared; a smile crossed her face as she unconsciously leaned closer to the young woman. Half-Dragon Mother was also shocked by this, but then found Guild Girl returning with a tea as she promised, she gratefully drank the beverage, intrigued by the taste.

“ _These humans…they friendly just like he said. I wish I had met people like this so long ago, then maybe none of us would have had to endure such misery._ ”

“So are you also part of the lizardman race as well?” Guild Girl was intrigued by the woman’s purple scales.

“Not Lizardmen…we’re both Half-Dragons.” Half-Dragon Mother wondered if mentioning this might cause some problems.

“Wow a Half-Dragon, I’ve never met one before. That would explain the wings.” Half-Demon Thief commented as she looked over the two.

“Are you able to fly with them?” Priestess was curious as she looked toward the young girl.

“Yes I can fly…but mama…”

Priestess and the others immediately took noticed of Half-Dragon Mother and saw the scarred issue over her right should blade.

“I’m terribly sorry, that was insensitive of me to ask such a question. Please forgive me!”

“Oh no it’s alright, I may have lost one of my wings, but…I’m told that I am not ugly because of it.” Half-Dragon Mother had a blush across her face as she looked toward Lizard Priest.

Lizard Priest himself immediately turned his head toward the side, the small action did not escape the attention of anyone there, and they all smiled at the sight.

“Well I’m glad to know that our party here was able to aid you in the rescue of your daughter. Are you going to be registering as an adventurer?”

“An adventurer? Me?” Half-Dragon Mother had not really considered what she would do since she followed Lizard Priest and the others back to town. “I’d…I’d rather stay close by so I can be near my daughter. Perhaps when she is older I can, but for right now I shall politely decline.”

“I completely understand. If that is the case, why not work here at the guild?”

“Work here? I…I don’t have many skills to offer though.”

“Our Padfoot Waitress and Chef could always use an extra set of hands and I’m sure they be happy to have someone else to speak with.”

“I…if you think they’ll be happy to have me then I shall accept.”

“Wonderful, why don’t you rest today and I’ll let them know you’ll be by tomorrow. Then perhaps this afternoon I can take you both shopping for some clothing.”

“Clothing? Is that necessary?” Half-Dragon Mother was slightly confused by the comment.

“Your scales are indeed quite lovely but…I’m concerned that your appearance might give some of our customers the wrong impression.”

Guild Girl need only look at Rookie Warrior’s blushing face as he turned his head toward the side; his partner immediately caught sight of this and proceeded to pinch his shoulder. Half-Dragon Mother instantly understood what Guild Girl was hinting at and suddenly became a bit self-conscious even though her scales were carefully covering her body.

“So shall I also arrange for you to have your own room?”

“No need, they’ll be staying with me in my room.” Lizard Priest smiled, but the blush along his face deepened as he though about what he was saying.

The blush along Half-Dragon Mother’s face did not help, and Dwarf Shaman smirked all the while stroking his beard while the others chuckled to themselves. Half-Dragon Mother knew this was far too early to consider this love but was deeply enamored at how Lizard Priest was treating her and her daughter. Half-Demon Thief soon caught sight of Goblin Slayer off to the side gently petting the two dire wolves, but now being approached by Fighter.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“I wanted to thank you, Priestess told me you were the one who saved me that day in the goblin cave. I…I was not of right mind to fully appreciate what you did for me that day.”

“I see. I’m glad to see that you’ve recovered.”

“To an extent yes. I’ve…I’ve reregistered as an adventurer, I’m tired of feeling sorry for myself and am ready to help others.”

“Good. I wish you luck.”

“Thank you again.”

As Fighter went back to join her party, Half-Demon Thief could not help but feel slightly jealous of seeing Goblin Slayer speaking with another girl. She, however, knew she had to something she needed to do, something entrusted to her; she moved toward Goblin Slayer with the heavy parcel in her hand.

“Goblin Slayer?”

“What is it?”

“I…I was asked to deliver this to you.” Half-Demon Thief held out the parcel toward Goblin Slayer.

Goblin Slayer looked at the parcel before taking it in his hand, feeling the weight behind it and then placed the parcel into his pouch.

“Who is it from?”

“This is going to sound odd, but…I think the person who gave it to me was me. I know that sounds unusual, but I’m convinced that I met another version of myself and she asked me to give this to you.”

Goblin Slayer was silent for a moment before nodding his head and moving closer to join the rest of his party.

“Hey Goblin Slayer!”

It was a slightly angry voice that called out to him, Goblin Slayer turned to see Spearman slowly approaching with a scowl upon his face. Many were there the day he was rather cold in his response to Guild Girl and the slight anger in his voice as he and Spearman had their slight confrontation. Half-Demon Thief, Cow Girl and Priestess were completely obliviously to what had transpired between these two and were surprised by Spearman’s demeanor. Spearman stopped just a couple feet from Goblin Slayer and stared down the man whose face he could not read. The tension in the air was thick as everyone looked on, expecting the two to come to blows.

“You okay?” Spearman stern in his response though there was the hint of concern in his voice.

“Yes. Sorry…for before.” Goblin Slayer bowed his head toward his comrade.

“I wasn’t asking for an apology, dumb ass.” Spearman scoffed as he shook his head. “Look…you better treat her right. I’ve…I’ve found someone to protect, so…I’m asking that you do right by her.”

Guild Girl was surprised by this, she had noticed him being far closer to his partner but had not put it together that he was no longer flirtatious with her. Goblin Slayer though was completely oblivious, he was not sure who Spearman was talking about, but when he thought about it, he believed that Spearman was referring to the young half-dragon girl, for him to protect her.

“I will do my best.”

“It’s one thing to say it, but I’ll hold you to that.” Spearman smirked as he gave his friend a hard pat on his right shoulder. “Come on, I owe you a drink after that fight at the castle.”

With that out of the way, the guild went back to normal as everyone happily went about their business as normal. Half-Dragon Daughter was able to pet both dire wolves, intrigued by the contrast in the color of there furs and laughed as they nuzzled up against her and gently licked her. She followed the two large wolves as they went back toward the strange armored man, though still a little afraid of him she worked up the courage to speak with him.

“Ar, are these both your wolves?”

“Yes. They are Wolf and Snow.”

“They’re both very friendly and pretty. Can…can I pet them some more?”

Goblin Slayer looked toward this little girl, this child who appeared to be no more than ten years old, and nodded his head.

“Whenever they follow me into town, you are free to pet them as much as you want.”

The response was as emotionless as the others had expected, but the answer brought a huge smile to the girl’s face as her unsure eyes suddenly lit up. She immediately rushed forward to embrace Goblin Slayer though at her height the best she could do was hug him around the waist.

“Thank you…you may seem scary but you’re really a nice person.”

“Is that so?” Goblin Slayer tilted his head to the side slightly.

Half-Dragon Daughter smiled brilliantly as she squeezed tighter, her own strength slightly greater than that of a normal child as Goblin Slayer grunted slightly. Goblin Slayer, although confused by this, slowly reached out toward the girl, hesitating for a moment before gently placing his hand upon her head and patting her head.

“ _Wh, what is she doing beloved? This…this action? Why?_ ”

Beneath his helmet was a slight smile, as he removed his hand and the young daughter released her grip to continue playing with the two dire wolves. Those who had been watching could only look on with wide eyes and mouths open from the shock of seeing Goblin Slayer acting so warmly toward this little girl. Cow Girl smiled brilliantly at this sight and was then reminded of the vivid dream she had a few nights ago, he uncle had been lost to the goblins, but she and Goblin Slayer had rebuilt the farm and started a family.

“ _That’s right, we had a daughter. His sister was there too helping us watch over her. Seeing him now…I want that to be more than just a dream._ ”

The group has a large feast to celebrate the success of both groups and to welcome Half-Dragon Mother and Daughter to the guild. Upon tasting cheese atop their meat both Dragon’s faces lit up, the taste was like nothing they had ever eaten before and like Lizard Priest came to quickly enjoy the food. Once their meal was done Goblin Slayer, Cow Girl and the two wolves said their goodbyes and proceeded to make their way back toward the farm. The walk back had been quiet, but Cow Girl was happy to have him back, the image of the young girl leaning against her and hugging Goblin Slayer stayed with Cow Girl.

Her Uncle was surprised to see him back, annoyed that he had worried her so much, even after he spoke with him about it a couple months ago, but still welcomed him back. The rest of the afternoon, Goblin Slayer went about checking the farm for any signs of possible goblins, if has been more than a month since he had been here, though he wanted to do what he could to keep them safe, but curse made him worry more about what he might do.

That night, Goblin Slayer watched as the two large dire wolves quickly went to sleep on the straw bed before he closed the large shed near the barn. Cow Girl and her Uncle were now fast asleep, which meant he could now see the extent of the curse as the pain in his shoulder flared up once again. In his room with a couple candles, Goblin Slayer took care to remove his armor without alerting the others, with the helmet, armor plating and leather armor removed Goblin Slayer frowned at the sight before him in the mirror. There was a large dark, almost black color from where he had been stabbed by the Lich Queen, but this mark had grown from what he had seen a month ago; the dark marks like creeping veins, moved down his left arm and began spreading across the left side of his chest and even traveled up the side of his neck.

“ _I’m impressed beloved._ ” The voluptuous human form of the Lich Queen smiled as she embraced Goblin Slayer from behind. “ _Most would not have lasted a day let alone a month before succumbing to the curse. Your resilience is amazing, just like my previous beloved._ ”

As Lich Queen thought about her current beloved, the thought of the young girl hugging him earlier came flooding back. She then remembered the image of a young girl who had thanked her past beloved and hugged him back during her days when she was still an adventurer.

“ _He was smiling as he patted the girl atop her head as well. Yes…in many ways you and he are very much alike. Constantly helping others, doing what you can to ensure the safety of your party._ ”

“None of that matters to me.” Goblin Slayer put the mirror down and sighed as he placed a hand on his injured shoulder.

“ _Come now beloved, you know that I attached myself to you because on my love for you. You are not a horcrux, there was not enough of my soul to bond with you at the time, I simply do not wish to be alone._ ” She smiled as she gently kissed the side of his face. “ _I want to end your suffering, the sooner you give into the darkness, the sooner you will be with me for all eternity and this vessel shall purge the world of the mortal races._ ”

“I’ll fight this.”

“ _You gave in earlier, and there was no pain during that time, your will is what brought you back, but it can only last so long._ ”

“We’ll see.”

Goblin Slayer then recalled the parcel he received from Thief earlier today, something about receiving it from herself, much of it left questions in his mind, but the least he could do was look through it. As he opened the parcel, he found two items, the first was a rather small but heavy item wrapped in paper and the second item was a letter. As he turned the letter over his eyes widened as he read the letter with the simple phrase “To my brother”, but it was the penmanship that caught his attention, even after more than ten years he recognized the writing.

“ _Gifts from one you saved? Let us read it together._ ” Lich Queen smiled as she continued to drape herself over Goblin Slayer but soon noticed the surprised look on his face. “ _Beloved?_ ”

For the first time in a long time, Goblin Slayer was nervous as he held this item in his hands, he carefully opened the envelop and took out the letter to read. With every word he read his eyes grew wider and his mouth hung open.

“ _To my dearest brother,_

_I write this letter to you from a time where you and I escaped the horror of what befell the village. I have had the joy and privilege of meeting your companions, Priestess and Thief, so I am happy to know that you are not alone in this world. The world or time we live in may be one of peace for you and I, but there are others who are suffering…they need a hero, one who does not prioritize himself over others. They need a Goblin Slayer._

_Even now, your compatriots are making plans to go back to your time, whether they are able to recall meeting me or not is not important, what is important is the chance for me to talk with you. Though it pains me to know this letter will be the only conversation we are to have, and one that if far to brief, know that I am so proud of what you have accomplished. I only ask that you do not completely shut yourself away from others, these people, your comrades, your friends…your family, are there to give you strength where I am unable._

_Though I may not be there physically, know that I will always be with you in spirit. We are taught that everything happens for a reason, the roll of the die decides the outcome of our fate and destiny…but I tell you to continue to challenge that and forge your own destiny. I will be cheering for you and praying for your continued safety from the other world._

_The item I have sent is one you may already have, but if it was lost during the goblin raid then let this be a piece of me that you carry into battle, that way a part of me will always be with you, even in your most desperate of times. Farewell and be safe my dear brother._

_My Love and Hopes…_

_Your Sister_ ”

Goblin Slayer’s hands were shaking as he set the letter down and turned his attention towards the item wrapped in paper. He carefully undid the bunding, there was a slight gasp as he looked at the item in his hand. In his hand was a small dagger, the hilt of it designed to resemble the head of a hawk while the leather scabbard was designed to resembled the body and the wings. Around the neck of the hawk, Goblin Slayer could see a black ribbon wrapped tightly and tied with a sturdy knot.

“ _This…this is father’s dagger, the one he left for me after his passing, and the ribbon…the ribbon is the one I bought my sister for her birthday…my sister. But this dagger is already within my work shed, I saw it just before I put Wolf and Snow away._ ”

Goblin Slayer tightly clenched the dagger in his right fist as he placed his left hand over his eyes.

“ _I don’t understand beloved, I was under the impression your sister had past, you mentioned…_ ”

Lich Queen was shocked as she looked toward Goblin Slayer and noticed, even though he covered he covered his eyes, his tears were running down his face as he gritted his teeth. This was the first time she had seen him act in such a manner and as she looked toward the letter, the dagger and him, she suddenly felt a great sadness overtake her. Once again, she embraced Goblin Slayer, this time it was not a flirtatious act, but one meant to console someone during a trying time.

“ _I shall leave you alone beloved, if…if you require someone to talk to, I shall be here._ ”

Lich Queen vanished as Goblin Slayer continued to cry, still gritting his teeth to keep himself from waking the others. When was the last time he allowed himself to cry in such a manner, even he could not remember, but for tonight he would allow himself to shed his tears of joy and regret, tomorrow…he would continue on his quest to fight this corruption.

xxxx

“It’s been nearly a week now since we met, I am still waiting for my next shipment of test subjects.” Deranged Necromancer impatiently tapped his right temple with two of his fingers.

“They’ll be here, probably just stopped off to gather some spirits.” Elder Animal Tracker frowned as he looked toward the streets from the large sewer entrance.

Thankfully the guards were not patrolling in the area at the moment, but another group would be coming soon and he did not much care for having to murder any witnesses.

“ _Always a pain in the ass to clean up._ ” Elder Animal Tracker then looked back toward the Necromancer. “I though you still had plenty of test subjects to work with.”

“To test on yes, but I still require more unique blood samples to add to my concoction. Gargoyle and harpy blood are rare to come by and tests on the giant rats and roaches are proven better than I could have hoped, so I’m eager to begin testing on wolves next. I’ll also be needing more goblins, once I have a stable batch, I’ll used them to breed with the captives to produce more test subjects for me, those Brutes will come in very handy. If I am to properly conduct my research upon the city, I will need a numbers, not a few dozen but a few hundred.”

“Just be sure you warn me when you’re conducting this research, I’ll want to watch from a safe distance.” Elder Animal Tracker looked back toward the streets.

“ _If my experiments continue to show such positive signs, that may be impossible to find._ ” Necromancer smiled wickedly as he thought about the future of his “experiments”.

They soon caught movement through the fog and saw an individual quickly run down the stairs toward the sewer entrance. It was the bearded Animal Wrangler, running toward them with a nervous look about his face, but there was no sign of the caravan.

“What the hell are you on about? Where’s the caravan?” Elder Animal Tracker growled in frustration then grimaced as he covered his nose and mouth and backed away. “You stink of shit, what happened?”

“I soiled myself.”

“What the hell would you go and do that for? I ain’t got time to waste, we need to unload the cargo before the next round comes through. Where’s my brother?”

“The caravan’s gone…you’re brother’s dead.”

Elder Animal Tracker and Necromancer were stunned to hear this, but each had their own reason for their expression.

“What do you mean he’s dead? No animal could have killed him, I trained him myself!” Elder Animal Tracker growled as he got hold of the bearded man’s shirt collar and jerked him forward.

“It…it wasn’t the animals. A group of adventurers crossed our path and attacked…their leader, he’s a monster, he killed your brother!”

“What of my test subjects?” Necromancer was now growing more frustrated as he heard this.

“I don’t give a damn about your pets, now what the hell happened?”

“We…we caught a half-dragon and her daughter, thought we killed the mother and captured the daughter, then the mother came back with the adventurers and the killed the caravan, released all the animals. Their leader…he killed your brother with a mace, beat him over and over until he was nothing more than a stain on the ground.” The bearded Animal Wrangler was trembling as he recalled the image. “He…he was laughing the whole time he did it. Those eyes…those red eyes…there’s no human like that, he must have been a demon!”

“He was laughing, was he?” Elder Animal Tracker could feel the nerve on the right side of his head throb with anger. “What was his name, this “demon” you saw, what’s he called?”

“His name…Goblin Slayer, he called himself Goblin Slayer!”

“Goblin Slayer? Then tell me this, why the hell are you still alive and my brother is dead?”

“I hid, I’m not stupid enough to go out there and fight that monster!”

“And yet you were stupid enough to come here and tell me this? If it wasn’t for the fact that you’re going to help me find this bastard, I’d take my blade and split you from your groin to your gullet!”

“A moment please.” Necromancer was calm in his response.

“I don’t give a damn…”

Elder Animal Tracker and Animal Wrangler then noticed nearly a dozen of the mask wearing Faceless men standing behind Necromancer, each with holding jagged daggers in their hands.

“While I can appreciate you wishing to avenge your fallen kin, we still have a business arrangement to attend to.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You will go back and find me my four caravans or lost goods. I’ve paid up front already and I will not accept any excuses! The Half-Dragon is fine, I don’t need it, but the rest you will deliver on what we agreed upon!”

“My brother is dead and you want me to put my revenge on hold for you?”

“I do and you will. I don’t need you doing anything foolish that will draw attention to me. You still provide a useful service to me, that this is unless you both will take the place of my lost test subjects?”

Both men nervously looked around, as much as he would rather kill the Necromancer, there was no way just he could deal with a dozen armed men and that was not accounting for what spells the Necromancer would use.

“We’ll round up some men and make sure you get your caravan.” Elder Animal Tracker sighed in resignation.

“Excellent. Find whatever leads you need on this Goblin Slayer, he may even lead you toward goblin nests, then once you’ve gotten what I need done…you are free to hunt him down. Am I clear?”

“Crystal.” Elder Animal Tracker then turned his attention back toward Animal Wrangler. “Come on, we got work to do.”

The two men calmly walked up the stair back toward the street and disappeared into an alley way. Necromancer watched this for a few moments before waving his hand and all but two of the Faceless Men returned to the sewers.

“Keep an eye on them. The moment you feel they’ll give away anything that might impede our progress end them. Be prepared to end yourselves in need be.”

“At once my lord.” Both Faceless men replied in a dull tone before they themselves moved up the street and disappeared into the fog.

“Goblin Slayer? Most intriguing.” Necromancer ponder as he returned to the sewers, there was still much for him to work on.


	43. Chapter 43

“I’ll take an ale and roasted chicken!”

“Grape wine and pasta…oh with a salad.”

“I’ve got a hearty appetite today! Grilled Fish, Bread, Cheese, Baked Potato…and what the hell give me a whole cherry pie! Oh and don’t forget the beer!”

“Sure thing!” Half-Dragon Mother quickly spun as she rushed toward the kitchen to deliver the order to the chef all the while a huge smile crossed her face.

The first couple days had been a little hectic as she did her best to keep up with Padfoot Waitress and the flood of orders that were coming at her. To say she was a bit overwhelmed would be an understatement, fortunately those she was working with were very understanding and helped her along. The patrons at the guild were also very polite, commenting that it was nice to have another pretty face to see in the guild after a long day of adventuring.

By the end of the first day, Guild Girl had taken both Half-Dragons toward the tailor to see about getting them the appropriate clothing to wear around town. The clothing designs were all very lovely, but of course the biggest issue would be the wings, their tails would be comfortably hidden under a skirt, but what to do about the wings. It was Guild Girl who came up with an ingenious idea for the tailor to make the backs open with strings to tie together like an apron. The tailor got to work modifying a few of the existing dressed and skirts and in a few short hours they were ready. Since it wasn’t known how well these would work, the tailor said they were on the house, if successful they could always buy more.

Half-Dragon Mother was nervous as she looked over the clothing, worried her claws would tear through the fabric, especially after all the trouble these people were going through to help her. To her surprise the clothing fit well, her arms went through the long sleeves with no trouble, her head easily went through the neck of the blouse, the only hard part was tying the knot in the back, but with a little help she got it. She looked at herself in the mirror, stunned by the change, save her clawed hands, feet and two purple horns, she could have easily passed for a human. With the open back, her wing could easily move without the worry of feeling cramped; even her tail, hidden under her skirt, could move about freely.

“You look amazing.” Guild Girl marveled at Half-Dragon Mother in her outfit.

“You look so pretty mama!”

“It…it feels odd wearing this, but I would agree that it is very lovely.” Half-Dragon Mother smiled as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

“The outfit is nice, but it is your figure that helps pull it off. I’m sure that when he sees you in this, he’ll say the same thing.”

Half-Dragon Mother gasped slightly, she had completely forgotten that Lizard Priest would soon see her in this outfit.

“ _Would…would he think I’m pretty in this?_ ” Half-Dragon Mother noticed her face was flushed as the thought flood her mind. “ _How silly, to be thinking such things as if I were a young maiden again…still, I hope he does like it._ ”

“Okay, your turn!” The tailor was ready with a simple pink dress in his hands.

Like her mother, Half-Dragon Daughter was nervous as she put on the dress; unlike her mother’s dress, this one did not have all the frills and lace and had much shorter sleeves. Half-Dragon Daughter had the same struggles with tying the back of her dress, but with Guild Girl’s help she got it.

“How do I look?” Half-Dragon Daughter looked toward her mother and Guild Girl nervously waiting for their response.

“My goodness! You look adorable in that!” Guild Girl smiled brilliantly as she looked down at the young dragon girl.

“Yes, so look so pretty, so…grown up.” Half-Dragon Mother had a warm smile on her face, she felt her eyes might start to tear up at the sight.

Half-Dragon Daughter laughed happily as she danced around in place, a quick flex of wings showed she could easily open them up. The two dragons then made their way back to the guild, nervously wondering what the others would think when they showed up with their dresses. The fears were for naught as the moment they entered back in, all the individuals they had met were shocked by the mere transformation of the clothing. Lizard Priest stood there with mouth agape as he looked over the figure of Half-Dragon Mother, Dwarf Shaman quickly took note of this and smirked as he elbowed his companions’ leg.

“Say something Scaly.”

“You…you both look remarkable in your new wears.” Lizard Priest stumbled with his words for a moment, the blush still apparent on his face.

“Th, thank you.” Half-Dragon Mother found herself looking toward the floor with a large blush across her face.

Half-Dragon Daughter was delighted to hear the compliment and over the next couple days happily watched the comings and goings of the adventurers. She was surprised by how hard Guild Girl, her mother and Padfoot Waitress worked here at the guild. While her mother was working, Priestess and Half-Demon Thief were kind enough to play with her and show her around the town, she even got to help Guild Girl gather paperwork.

“ _There’s so many different people. Elf, Dwarf, Rhea, Human…this town has quite a large number of adventurers. I wonder if every town is like this?_ ”

As promised, Goblin Slayer and Cow Girl did arrive to see how both Half-Dragons were doing and both dire wolves happily came in. Half-Dragon Daughter was overjoyed to see the two massive wolves as they happily nuzzled against her while she patted them. She looked around to see the others talking but noticed that the armored man Goblin Slayer was over by the quest board by himself. She quickly moved toward him, wondering what he was doing followed of course by the two wolves.

“ _No goblin quests today._ ” He looked over the board at the various at the different tasks available but those did not concern him. “ _I will deliver my report with Guild Girl once she has finished speaking. I should also speak with Thief about…_ ”

Goblin Slayer then felt something take hold of his left hand and as he looked down found a pair of bright green eyes staring back at him. Half-Dragon Daughter smiled as she looked up at the armored man, though she found it hard to determine what he looked like with his helmet on.

“Is everything okay? You’re all by yourself.”

“Fine. Just looking at the quest board for any goblins.”

“Goblins? You mean those little green monsters?” Half-Dragon Daughter tilted her head to the side.

“Yes, but there are no goblin quests yet.”

“Then come and talk with the rest of us.” Half-Dragon Daughter tugged on his arm to pull him away from the board and join the others. “No one wants to be alone.”

“Is that so?”

“I think so, don’t you?” Once again there was the bright smile on her face as she continued to pull.

Goblin Slayer looked down at the little girl, gone was the scared expression on her face the day she had been locked up in the cage; now there was a bright smile on her face as she urged him to join her and the others, he looked over to see both Wolf and Snow looking up at him with tails wagging.

“Very well.” Goblin Slayer relented and moved with her, she still holding his hand to make sure he didn’t get lost, towards the table.

The others had seen this sight and the moment she and Goblin Slayer sat at the table, Lizard Priest gave a hearty laugh.

“Congratulations my dear, you’ve done the impossible!”

“Wha, what did I do?” Half-Dragon Daughter was a bit nervous, thinking she had done something she wasn’t supposed to.

“You managed to get Orcbolg to join the rest of us. Every time we try, he often tells us he has something to do, or has to head back to the farm, but you did it on your first try! I’m pretty envious of that power.”

“He really can be a handful, but you seem to have been able to get him to do what you want from the get-go.” Priestess smiled as she herself had been spending the last two years trying to get her teacher to try new things.

“That’s a fine little one you have there Scaly.”

“You are too kind Sir Mage, but alas she is not mine to claim.”

Half-Dragon Mother found a break in her work to join the others just as Guild Girl had to go back to work on her shift. Half-Dragon Daughter had seen how her mother looked so happy whenever she got the time to spend with the lizardman and had noticed they were getting very close over the last few days, she was not a simple child after all. Her time with her mother in the wild had taught her to read what others were thinking, and hearing the others go by names made her yearn for something more, something she never got the chance to experience growing up. Goblin Slayer then stood and began to move toward the front desk to the minor concern of Half-Dragon Daughter.

“Where are you going?” Half-Dragon Daughter was worried if all the earlier teasing made him leave.

“I need to make my reports on the various goblin quests I undertook. It may take a while. I will be back.” Goblin Slayer gave the table a small nod as he continued toward the front desk.

“There goes Orcbolg, some things never change.”

“Oh I don’t know about that Long-Ears, I’d say that Beardcutter there has changed plenty over the time we’ve spent with him.”

“Why do you call each other by such odd names? Long-Ears? Scaly? Beardcutter?”

The others turned their attention back toward the young girl and her sudden question.

“These are names we have for one another. Some are titles in our own native tongue such as Beardcutter and Orcbolg are the names for Milord Goblin Slayer in the tongues of the dwarves and elves. The names “Scaly” and “Long-Ears” are nicknames Sir Mage has given us, colorful characteristics about his comrades.”

“Can…can I also call you by these nicknames?”

“Of course, I’d be offended if you didn’t call this walking anvil over here Long-Ears…and secretly she’d be offended to.”

“If that’s the case, they you can call this fat dwarf over here “Wine Barrel” as that is his proper shape.”

Half-Dragon Daughter smiled at how she was being included in the conversation with the adults as did her mother. Then she looked back toward the lizardman and her mother and frowned as there was something she wanted to ask yet was afraid of what might be said.

“I…I don’t want to just call you Scaly though. Can…can I call you something else?” Half-Dragon Daughter looked toward the lizardman, her heart racing as she worried about the answer.

“Well of course my dear, you may call me whatever you wish.”

“Then…can I call you Papa?”

There was a sudden hush over the large table, Dwarf Shaman nearly choked on his wine while the others looked at the young girl then back toward Lizard Priest who himself was stunned by this question as was Half-Dragon Mother by his side. Thankfully, Guild Girl and Goblin Slayer did not hear this, nor did the other guild patrons, though Guild Girl noticed the table had grown quite quiet.

“You and the others came to save my mama and I, even though you knew nothing about us. You wished to help us and…I’ve seen how happy mama is when she is with you. I did not get to know my papa before, so…I’d like for you to be my new papa. Can I call you Papa?”

Lizard Priest was still shocked by this declaration as he was not sure how to respond to this, then felt something press against his left side, as he turned found Half-Dragon Mother smiling as well as she embraced his arm.

“She’s…she’s not the only one who wondering about your answer. I can’t think of anyone else who could fill that void. So, what do you say…Papa?”

The blush on Lizard Priest’s face got bigger, but soon his surprised look turned into a bright smile as he reached over the table and gently squeezed the young girl’s hand.

“It would be an honor to be your Papa.”

The young girl’s eyes lit up and the smile on her face grew even wider, as some of the other girls at the tables were sniffling and ready to cry tears of joy.

“Then if that’s the case I want a different nickname as well. You can call me Grandpa.” Dwarf Shaman smiled as he patted his belly then looked over toward High Elf Archer and smirked. “Then given how Long-Ears here is the **oldest** , then by default that would make her…”

“Don’t you even think about it dwarf!” High Elf Archer was quick to shut the dwarf’s potential nickname down. “I am more than happy being an older sister to this little one here, and I doubt I’ll be the only older sister you have.”

Half-Dragon Daughter was surprised by this and as she looked around saw Priestess, Half-Demon Thief and Cow Girl all nod their head which only made her smile even more.

“Don’t forget that Guild Girl will more than likely be thrilled to be an older sister to you. Which means that you now have a much larger family than you thought you’d get.” Priestess smiled as she gently placed a hand on the young girl’s shoulder.

“Not to mention you also have a big brother to watch over you too.” Cow Girl smiled as she looked back toward the front desk.

Half-Dragon Daughter followed her gaze and immediately caught sight of Goblin Slayer, this man in armor who along with her Papa had come to save her and her mother from those cruel humans.

“Before he comes over here, I’ll let you in on a secret little one. Do you know why he is always dressed like that?” Dwarf Shaman smiled as she looked towards his granddaughter and saw her shake her head. “It’s because he is what the monsters are scared of. If your Papa isn’t there to keep you safe, you can bet that your Big Brother there will fight tooth and nail to protect you.”

“Though this family may not share the same blood, know that each of us will do what we can to protect you and each other. On that you can trust your papa.” Lizard Priest smiled as he said the word out loud, his tail swaying slightly back and forth as he said it.

The others all smiled at the thought of Goblin Slayer acting like the over protective big brother, but for Half-Dragon Daughter it was surprising to think that in just a few short minutes she now had a large family, something that up until a few days ago consisted of her and her mother and might have never gotten that far if these adventurers had not come to rescue her. Once all was finished and Goblin Slayer had collected his pay, he returned to join the others at the table.

“I have a big brother now!” Half-Dragon Daughter instantly got hold of Goblin Slayer’s arm and hugged it tightly.

“Big Brother?”

“I have a huge family now, Scaly…I mean Papa said he’d be my new papa!”

“I see.”

“Aw come on now big brother, show a little more emotion.” Cow Girl was quick to tease though she was happy this little one had taken a liking to everyone.

“She’s right Goblin Slayer sir, you need to set a good example as a big brother.” Priestess too added in with a big smile on her face.

“Hmm.” Goblin Slayer was confused by the comments made but as he looked down and saw the smiling face of the little girl, he decided not to press the matter any further.

“ _There is that behavior again beloved…It would seem that she is quite taken with you. These mortal races are not to be trusted…they are…perhaps for now, you can indulge her silly beliefs and allow her to see you as her brother._ ” Lich Queen sighed as she looked at the small child smiling brilliantly and could not bring herself to say negative about her.

Lizard Priest could not have been happier as he spent time with his new family. Over the last two years he had come to enjoy his time with his comrades, being an invaluable asset to their party, and during those times he had never lost sight of what his aspirations, but now he felt this was something more tangible that he could attain. When the party was off on their goblin slaying quests, Half-Dragon Daughter would spend most of her time at the guild hall listening to the stories of the other adventurers, but there were times she would get to go to the farm with her big sister, Cow Girl.

“Wow…do you own all this land?”

“This is my Uncles farm.”

“Is this where we get all that delicious cheese?”

“Sure is, I even made sure to have some ready if you’d like to join us for lunch.”

Half-Dragon Daughter happily joined Cow Girl and her Uncle for lunch, to which she happily referred to the man as Uncle. Slightly taken aback by the comment, he quickly smiled as he allowed the girl to refer to him as her Uncle. The three ate their lunch then continued their work around the farm, Half-Dragon Daughter was quick to offer her assistance. Uncle did not want to make the young girl work but seeing how adamant she was to help he finally relented to allowed her to assist her niece in the fields.

Soon enough, Half-Dragon Daughter saw her mother coming up the road with her Papa and the rest of her family in tow. She happily ran toward her family where Lizard Priest scooped up his daughter and held her high.

“Did you finish your quest Papa?” She giggled as she was raised and lowered back to the ground.

“Indeed, another nest of the vile creatures has been dealt with.”

“Did you have fun today on the farm?” Her mother smiled as she patted her head.

“I did! I got to help my big sister with the cows!”

“Are you ready to head back then?”

Half-Dragon Daughter looked over toward Cow Girl and then saw the two large dire wolves, they had gone on this goblin quest, so she hadn’t had a chance to play with them.

“Can I stay the night?” Half-Dragon Daughter was nervous her mother say no as she wanted to spend some time with the dire wolves.

Her mother looked toward Cow Girl who happily nodded her head, then smiled as well as she as she nodded back toward her daughter.

“I don’t see any harm with you staying tonight; be on your best behavior and we’ll see you back in the morning.” Half-Dragon Mother smiled warmly as looked toward her daughter.

“Thank you mama!”

“We’ll be sure to take really good care of her. So what are going to be downing without your little one there tonight?” Cow Girl happily enjoying making small conversation.

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll find something to keep ourselves entertained.” Half-Dragon Mother happily squeezed Lizard Priest’s hand.

Lizard Priest struggled to clear his throat though the blush on his face was evident, as was the blush on the face of the other women as they realized what was being suggested.

“No sleep for you tonight, eh Scaly.”

The only ones not affected by the comment were Goblin Slayer and Half-Dragon Daughter, for her it was because she did not understand the hidden message and for him, it was because he did not care. The evening as the rest of the party members made their way back toward the guild while Goblin Slayer and the others stayed behind. While Half-Dragon Daughter and Cow Girl happily played with the large dire wolves, Goblin Slayer made his rounds around the farm to check for any possible signs of goblins.

They all happily ate their meal, for the first time Half-Dragon Daughter had an opportunity to have stew and, like the cheese, immediately enjoyed the meal. As they readied themselves for bed Half-Dragon Daughter would end up sleep in Cow Girl’s bed; Cow Girl realized that she should probably should not sleep in the nude with the little girl so she decided to keep her underwear and wear a long shirt for the night. Half-Dragon Daughter was a bit apprehensive to be away from her mother, the painful memory of being taken captive lingered in her mind, thankfully she was not going to sleep alone.

“You ready to sleep?” Cow Girl carefully set her body into bed, sleeping closer towards the window.

“I guess, it’s a little strange being away from mama.”

“We can make our way back to the guild if you’d like?”

“No, I like spending time with the rest of my family, and it was a lot of fun being able to play with Wolf and Snow. I wish I had my own wolf too?”

“It’s taken a while for them, but they’ve really warmed up to all of us, but are still very protective of us if there is something they don’t like.” Cow Girl smiled as she stroked the young girl’s head.

Cow Girl looked out the window and saw the bright red moon in the sly, and quickly closed the shutters as she and half-Dragon Daughter readied to sleep. The suddenly heard the knock on the door which startled them, the door slowly opened, and Goblin Slayer could be seen.

“I finished my rounds; I did not find any signs of goblins.”

“You scared us there. Thank you for checking thing for us.” Cow Girl smiled as her heart started to slow down from her shocked state.

“I will let you sleep then.” Goblin Slayer took hold of the door handle and prepared to close it.

“Uh…would you…would you mind staying with us?” Half-Dragon Daughter was timid in her request as she remembered what her “Grandpa” had mentioned.

“ _…he is what the monsters are scared of…_ ”

In her mind, the monsters were those that would try to hurt her or her new family and having him there would set her mind at ease. Goblin Slayer was silent for a moment, before he nodded his head and moved into the room. He took a nearby chair and placed it near the head of the bed and looked forward into the darkness. Cow Girl, though slightly embarrassed to have him in the same room as her, felt at ease knowing that he was here.

“Thank you. Do…will you stay the night?” Half-Dragon Daughter was worried that he would leave, her fear was to find herself alone.

Goblin Slayer slowly turned his head toward the two in the bed, still silent then calmly extended his right arm toward the young girl. Half-Dragon Daughter took his hand in hers and gently squeezed as she closed her eyes and felt more comfortable as she drifted off to sleep. Cow Girl smiled as he too closed her eyes and happily went to sleep with the extra body in the bed with her.

Goblin Slayer silently sat there in the darkness constantly looking over the area, then looked back toward the young girl as he felt her squeeze his hand once again. He turned his head to the side as he saw the smile on her face as she silently slept and beneath his helmet there was a small smile.

“ _If you wish beloved, I can watch over you all while you sleep._ ”

Goblin Slayer looked forward and within the darkness could see the human figure of the Lich Queen standing near the foot of the bed.

“ _Rest assured beloved I mean no harm; I am simply offering to be of some service to you._ ”

“You…seem different as of late.” Goblin Slayer tried to be as silent as possible.

Lich Queen had a small frown about her face as she looked over the two sleeping girls then back toward Goblin Slayer.

“ _I…I have not changed on my stance on the mortal races, but…maybe not all of them are so bad. I blame you for this change beloved and will still claim your soul for myself._ ” She smiled warmly at Goblin Slayer.

“Hmm.” Goblin Slayer was silent for a moment as he looked toward Lich Queen then looked back toward the young girl. “I shall continue to watch over her.”

“ _As you wish beloved._ ”

xxxx

“I’m at my wits end…I don’t know what else we can do.”

Heavy Warrior, Scout Boy, Half-Elf Light Warrior and Druid Girl lamented as they looked toward the creature within the cage. The monstrous creature charged at the bars of the cage snarling at the four outside, it would reach out with its clawed hands in an attempt to swipe at them as its bright blue eyes angrily focused on them. Though they had seen this creature over and over during the nights of the full moon or moons at time, it was the night of the red moon that this beast was at its most ferocious.

“It’s been more than two months, and we’re no closer to finding that man who took the wolf away.” Half-Elf Light warrior frowned as he looked toward Heavy Warrior.

“And we haven’t been able to find a viable cure.” Druid Girl added as she looked toward the cage with a solemn expression.

“I know, I know!” Heavy Warrior sighed in frustration as he looked toward the creature. “ _I…I don’t want to even think about the alternative to help her._ ”

“Wh, what do we do? We’ve done everything to keep this secret from the others, but soon enough they’ll find out.” Scout Boy was nervous as the creature snarled at them before howling towards the moon above.

“It…it may be time to request some help. We’ve been going at this on our own for quite some time and have not made any progress.” Heavy Warrior thought carefully about what the next steps might be.

“Who can we turn to? Who can we trust not to spread any of this to the others at the guild, it would ruin her reputation as an adventurer?” Half-Elf Light Warrior looked toward Heavy Warrior.

“Someone who knows about wolves.”

**Author’s Note: This should be a good stopping point for our Half-Dragon Daughter’s Arc, she and her mother will definitely be sticking around and I’m glad many enjoyed seeing them enter the world of Goblin Slayer. The next arc will introduce Heavy Warrior and the problem he will need help with, but we need to remember that we have an Older Brother looking to avenge his younger brother, so plan to see him show himself and help push us into further torment for Goblin Slayer. The threat of the Necromancer and the descent into darkness also lie before Goblin Slayer so there is much that will challenge our heroes.**

**Due to the Corona scare, I and other teachers will be on extended vacation until April 6 th, which means I should have a little more time ahead of me to work on hopefully a couple other chapters. Stay safe out there and stay healthy, see you guys for next time.**


	44. Chapter 44

Sword Maiden calmly walked down the streets of Water Town followed by her attendants, smiling and waving towards the greetings she had received. What was odd was but a couple weeks ago she had a vivid dream of things turning out much worse for her and her city had Goblin Slayer and his party not come to her aid almost two years ago.

“ _Thankfully it was only a dream and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Goblin Slayer once again._ ” A warm smile and slight blush crossed her face as she though back to their most recent quest.

The Lord, the king of the land, had summoned her and others like her including the newly ranked Hero to come and aid with a dark prophecy, the impact of an ill star that had fallen from the Heavens. The road to the capital had become dangerous due to the sighting of several goblin riders, so for her it only made sense to request the assistance of Goblin Slayer and his party. She met with them at the guild hall and was introduced to the two Half-Dragons they had recused from some human raiders and smiled as she heard the younger one refer to Goblin Slayer as her older brother.

“ _Who would have thought the king’s sister would cause so much trouble. Stealing the young Priestess’ belongings and ending up being captured by the goblins in their dungeon as a sacrifice._ ” Sword Maiden suddenly frowned as she thought back to the visage of the goblins before her. “ _I am thankful that he along with my warrior priests were there…I don’t know if I would have been able to face the goblins if I had been by myself._ ”

“Is everything okay my lady?”

Sword Maiden was suddenly brought back to reality as she heard one of her attendants call out to her.

“My apologies, I was just in deep thought about the recent events at the capital.”

“It was most fortunate that silver-ranked adventurer and his party were there, to think they would want you, our Archbishop, to go and deal with goblins. The nerve of those in charge, asking you to deal with such a demeaning task.”

“Y, yes indeed, quite fortunate that he was there.” Sword Maiden smiled once again as she thought about Goblin Slayer but soon a frown formed on her face. “ _There was something off about him though when we spoke. His form…his shadow seemed darker, almost as if he wasn’t the same man I had met during the end of the year celebration. I could have sworn as we spoke there was another watching me with eyes filled with anger and…jealousy._ ”

“I hope he is okay.”

“My lady?”

“Oh, it’s nothing really, just wondering how Goblin Slayer is fairing after his most recent quest.”

“If you’d like, we can send him a letter, I’d be more than happy to take down your dictation.”

“I…that would be a lovely idea.” Sword Maiden did her best to hide the blush on her face.

“I should have it sent to the guild in Frontier Town yes?”

“That’s correct. We best hurry back to the Temple of Law, though I’ve greatly enjoyed being able to be out and about in the fare town, I do still have many duties ahead of me.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

Little did the two realize that as they were speaking, they happened to pass by a couple of individuals leaning against the wall of the guild hall. One was a portly bearded man while the other was clean-shaved, his eyes hidden under the long brim of his hat as he took a drag on his pipe. He exhaled then soon stood and began to walk away towards the business district with the bearded man following behind.

“Did you hear?”

“Of course I heard, it was a smart plan to wait here in Water Town while the third wagon was being delivered.” Elder Animal Tracker frowned though as he now had some kind of lead on this Goblin Slayer.

“So when do we move to kill him?” Animal Wrangler was worried about trying to move against that monstrous man.

“Keep your voice down you damn fool. We can’t do anything until the last two wagons are delivered.”

“I thought you only owed him four.”

“I wasn’t the one who screwed up.”

“Right, it was because your brother…”

Before he could finish, Elder Animal Tracker quickly spun around and got hold of shirt collar pulling him forward then shoving him back, causing the heavy man to fall. This of course drew the attention of everyone as the lanky man in the hat glared at the man on the ground.

“Think very carefully about the next words that will come out of your mouth.” Elder Animal Tracker clenched his fist as he continued to glare at this man.

“Un, understood.”

Animal Wrangler quickly stood, dusted himself off, and rejoined Elder Animal Tracker in their discussion.

“I need to stay on good terms with the Necromancer, hence the reason for the extra wagon. You didn’t see it did you?”

“See what?”

“Before we left, he sent out a couple of those Faceless Men of his.”

“The…they’re watching us?” Animal Wrangler began to nervously look around but could not spot anyone in those odd masks.

“They’re not going to move about in those plague masks you damn idiot. From what he said, even the Faceless Men don’t know who the others are, it could be any one of these men or women around, but it’s clear he wants to keep a sharp eye on us.”

“I…I see. So what then?”

“We deliver the last of his requested animals, then we move on this Goblin Slayer. I sure as hell don’t plan on crossing that man.”

“Why? Is it because you don’t want to lose a valuable customer?”

“That and I don’t want to end up as one of those test subjects. We haven’t seen what he has, those things…they’re beyond what describes a monster.” Elder Animal Tracker started to sweat at the thought of those things being unleashed or worst being turned into one of those abominations. “Regardless, we know where to start when the time is right.”

xxxx

Goblin Slayer stood by his usual table as he waited patiently for the rest of his party and the new quests to go out. It had been now more than two months dealing with this curse, everyday he could see the darkness spreading further and further. There were times were the pain was excruciating, but he had trained himself to deal with it, other times it was mild but there was always the pain. So focused on his thought was he, that he failed to see a large man in armor walk into the guild hall; this figure looked around until he caught sight of Goblin Slayer.

“ _I do not approve of that buxom temptress being around you beloved. Did you notice how she practically threw herself at you? She acted as if she was desperate for your approval, I can’t imagine anyone being so flirtatious. Beloved?_ ”

“ _How much longer do I have? No solution has presented itself as of yet. Should I tell them now, that way they are prepared for the worst._ ”

“ _Beloved, what troubles you?_ ” Lich Queen smiled as she placed her hands upon his.

Though visible to Goblin Slayer, her form was unseen by the others around them.

“ _Time. I feel mine is running short._ ”

“ _Yes…that would be problematic._ ” Lich Queen frowned as she looked toward her beloved. “ _I…I am sorry._ ”

Goblin Slayer then looked up to face Lich Queen, though her eyes were black save the bright red pupils, he could see a saddened expression on her face.

“ _We’re there a way to end your suffering I would gladly do so, but…would it really be so bad to spend the rest of our time with me? Your soul and mine would be together forever so you would never be alone…and neither would I._ ”

Before he was able to answer, he finally noticed the large man walk around him to stand on the opposite side of the table. Heavy Warrior had a stern look about his face as he nodded toward Goblin Slayer.

“Do you need something.” The dispassionate response from Goblin Slayer did not help the situation.

“Goblin Slayer…how long have we known one another?”

“Hmm…since we began, seven years correct?”

“Seven years…and yet only in the last two years have we actually acted like comrades.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Goblin Slayer, over these last two years I’ve come to realize that you are a capable and trustworthy comrade.” Heavy Warrior sighed as he thought about his village which had been saved from the goblins. “ _They told me it was a young adventurer who came and slew the goblins, he came and saved the village before I even knew about it._ ”

“Something wrong?”

“Yes, but now that I’m here it seems harder to ask. Goblin Slayer…I’d like your assistance with something.”

“Is it goblins?”

“It’d be easier if it were, but no. What do you know about curses?”

“Not as much as I would like.” Goblin Slayer stared at Heavy Warrior as he wondered where the adventurer was going with this question.

“As you probably have seen, I’ve been out of the guild for a while. Me and my party have…been dealing with something unpleasant?”

“Is that so? I’ve been out quite often so I hadn’t noticed.”

“I see. Listen, I need the advice of someone who’s been working with wolves for some time. Could I ask for your aid…please?” Heavy Warrior bowed his head toward Goblin Slayer.

Some of the other guild patrons had seen this, Spearman and Witch included, and were shocked to see Heavy Warrior bow his head towards another.

“I can’t promise I’ll be able to help, but I’ll do what I can.”

“That’s all I ask.” Heavy Warrior had a light smile about his face. “Let me buy you a beer and I’ll discuss what I need, or at least what I can say out loud.”

“Very well.”

Goblin Slayer followed behind Heavy Warrior towards the tavern where he was greeted by Half-Dragon Mother and Daughter.

“Good morning Goblin Slayer.” Half-Dragon Mother had a bright smile on her face.

“Big Brother, good morning!” Half-Dragon Daughter was quick to run up and hug her brother, ever the bright smile on her face.

Goblin Slayer nodded his head toward them and gently patted his “little sister” atop her head much to the surprise of Heavy Warrior.

“You…you’re a big brother? When did this happen, who are these new people?” Heavy Warrior, being out so long, was surprised by the sight of these two dragons.

“We helped them after a goblin quest. Half-Dragon Mother and Priest are now living together as her family. The rest of my party was invited to join as well as her surrogate brother and sisters.”

Heavy Warrior was indeed surprised by all this change, while and the rest of his party were out trying to find a cure, Goblin Slayer had gone and found himself a family.

“ _Come to think of it, I thought I had also seen Spearman and his partner being rather close. Did he finally realize that he had a perfectly fine woman by his side this whole time?_ ”

“Good morning Milord Goblin Slayer.”

“Hey Orcbolg, did you come to join us?”

“Not today. I’ve been asked to assist Heavy Warrior with a matter.”

“Oh it’s very good to see you again.” Priestess was quick to stand and bow her head to Heavy Warrior. “I haven’t seen your party around for a while now, is everything alright?”

“I…one of my members is ill at the moment. If you’ll excuse us.” Heavy Warrior was quick to brush off the conversation as he moved away from the others.

“Do you want our help with the matter Goblin Slayer?” Half-Demon Thief was curious as to what could be bothering Heavy Warrior.

“No. He asked for my assistance.” Goblin Slayer then followed behind the warrior to a more secluded part of the tavern.

“I’m curious as to what business Beardcutter has with our warrior friend there. Come to think of it, like the lass said, it’s been quite some time since we’ve seen his whole party here.”

“Well whatever it is, it would seem that he doesn’t want us to get involved.” Priestess had a slight frown as she felt Goblin Slayer was moving away from them once again.

“It would seem that way, too bad we’re not a part of the warrior’s group…fortunately we’re part of Goblin Slayer’s though.” High Elf Archer smirked as she looked over toward the corner to see the two of them order their drinks.

“Once you get the details, I’ll help keep us out of sight so we can see what Goblin Slayer is up to.” Half-Demon Thief smirked as well as she continued to eat her food.

“Wait…we’re going to spy on them?” Priestess had a slight frown upon her face.

“Not spy, just observe from a distance. You want to make sure that Goblin Slayer is alright, yes?” Half-Demon Thief’s grew as she watched her friend nervously fidget in place.

“Yes, but…I don’t feel right spying on him though.”

“We shall only intervene if absolutely necessary. This is Milord Goblin Slayer’s task of course.”

“What’s this Scaly, you wish to eavesdrop as well?”

“I am only concerned for the well-being of my friend Sir Mage…though my curiosity is rather high with the secrecy of all of this.”

xxxx

“Thank you for not involving the others Goblin Slayer. This is a rather…delicate matter. The less people who know of this, the better.”

“Give me the details of the quest.”

“Straight to the point as ever. As I mentioned earlier, one of my party is ill and I’d like your help is hopefully finding a cure.”

“Why not as the Priestess, she knows the miracle of heal and purify?”

“We’ve…tried those already with our own druid and I doubt your party member will be able to change much. No, what I need right now, is someone with expertise…particularly wolves. Speaking of which, where are your two dire wolves?”

“At home, I was going to retrieve them if another goblin quest was assigned.”

“Thank you for this, I will pay back in whatever way I can…even if that means I owe you a goblin quest.” Heavy Warrior had a light smile on his face. “Down to business, there’s a clearing quite a ways from here to the east of the town, come around sundown and my party will be there to meet you, bring your dire wolves.”

“Hmm. Very well.”

“Also, do you happen to know what night this is?”

“Does that matter?”

“Thankfully tonight is the night of the two full moons…the night of the red moon are the most difficult.” The was a far away look in Heavy Warrior’s eye as a thought crossed his mind. “Anyway, thanks again for meeting with me, I have a couple errands to run so I’ll see you tonight. Please don’t breathe a word of this to the others.”

Goblin Slayer nodded his head as he watched the large man leave the tavern after paying for their drinks. Goblin Slayer lingered at his seat for a moment before he too stood and exited the guild hall, deciding to go and gather Wolf and Snow. High Elf Archer having heard everything frowned as she mulled the information, then whispered to the others what she heard.

Upon gathering his two wolves, Goblin Slayer decided it would be best to go and wait at the location until dusk. Though it was late in the afternoon, Goblin Slayer found the clearing Heavy Warrior spoke of and patiently waited with his dire wolves who happily ran about the field together. It was nearly dusk when he heard the sound of a wagon approaching, he turned to see Heavy Warrior atop the wagon, behind it was a large metal cage being dragged along. Both dire wolves calmly walked toward Goblin Slayer and waited beside him though they remained tense. Heavy Warrior brought the wagon to a halt and disembarked before being followed by the rest of his party. The three younger members had weak smiles on their faces as they nodded toward Goblin Slayer, but Female Knight had a frown as she looked around the area before turning her attention toward the sky.

“Thank you for coming.” Heavy Warrior held out his hand toward Goblin Slayer.

Goblin Slayer nodded as he took hold of Heavy Warrior’s hand and gave it a firm shake. He then noticed the rest of Heavy Warrior’s party were cautiously looking around the area for any signs of people, thankfully they found no one in eye sight. Off near the tree line, the remainder of Goblin Slayer’s party were hidden by Thief’s Stealth ability who too waited patiently.

“I can’t believe you brought Goblin Slayer.” Female Knight grunted as she looked around uncomfortably.

“He’s helped us before during that time you were sick and out on the training grounds. We both know he’s a damn capable silver and he’s probably the most tight-lipped adventurer we’ve ever seen. He won’t go talking about this, he can keep a secret.”

“I…I suppose. He was nice enough to help me with some advice back during the Fall Festival.” Female Knight smiled weakly toward Heavy Warrior then turned her attention back to Goblin Slayer. “How much do you know?”

“I was asked to come and help if I could. I’ve been told that one of your party is ill and my expertise with wolves was required, though I am not an expert in wolves.”

“I’ve missed your no-nonsense dialogue. These last two months have been…quite trying. As you probably guessed, I am the one who is ill…cursed in fact.”

“I see. What troubles you?”

“It, it will be easier for you to understand when the moons are out.” Female Knight grunted as she suddenly gripped either side of her arms.

“Are you alright?” Druid Girl quickly rushed to her friend’s side.

“I…I can feel the burning pain. There’s not much time.” Female Knight quickly started to remove her armor.

Druid Girl was quick to aid her, while the other male members turned their attention away from Female Knight, a slight blush present on their faces. Goblin Slayer was puzzled as to her actions, but one look on Heavy Warrior’s face could show how uncomfortable he was seeing this.

“Is it required for her to remove her armor?”

“The first time it happened, she practically torn her armor off before charging off into the woods. The sight of it completely caught us off guard and it wasn’t until morning that we found her, nude and covered in blood.” Heavy Warrior grimaced as he recalled the sigh the first time and his immediate need to cover her up with his cloak.

“Blood, was she injured in an attack?”

“No…it was not her blood, but the blood of a wild animal, a large boar, she had evidently killed it with her bare hands.”

“Hmm.” Goblin Slayer was still unsure of the situation, but wondered just how much strength would be required to slay a boar bare-handed.

Once out of her armor, Female Knight was now in just a thin layer of clothing plus her undergarments, the young boys still averting their eyes of her ample frame. Shen found herself growling and as she looked toward the sky once again noticed the sun quickly setting.

“It…it will be dark soon. Get…get the cage ready!”

“Yes ma’am.” Half-Elf Light Warrior quickly rushed to unlock the cage.

Female Knight was helped into the cage by Heavy Warrior, all the while she continued to growl and her breathing was quite ragged. Once in the cage, the door was quickly shut and locked as everyone backed away watching as Female Knight dropped to the floor and curled up into a fetal position from the pain. Wolf and Snow’s ears began twitching and both moved from a sitting position to standing, their bodies tensed as they both moved in front of Goblin Slayer and started with a low growl.

“Wolf. Snow.” Goblin Slayer calmly placed his hand atop their heads to calm them, yet they continued to growl.

“They can probably got the scent coming from her and can sense something is not quite right.” Heavy Warrior looked towards the two massive wolves and then back toward the metal cage. “ _Though expensive, the cage was a good investment as it has kept us all safe._ ”

Goblin Slayer continued to observe his comrade in the cage when he finally noticed the sun was down and off in the distance, he could clearly see the two full moons slowly rising. Suddenly there was a scream, as Female Knight suddenly stood and gripped the bars of the cage while staring off at the full moons.

“Here it comes again…by the gods how I hate the see her suffer like this.” Heavy Warrior grunted as he backed further away from the cage.

Female Knights face contorted with rage as her body began to change before everyone’ eyes. For the younger one they could only look on with horror while Heavy Warrior looked toward her with sympathy, but Goblin Slayer calmly watched what was happening. The sounds of fabric tearing could be heard as her body began to alter, limbs began to elongate, and muscles started to bulge. Female Knight’s face began to morph in an almost painful fashion as her mouth and nose seemed to extend forward like a dog’s muzzle.

As the clothing around her body began to become far to constricting, she torn at the fabric with her large hands, which now bore long clawed fingertips. White fur could now be seen covering her body though her long blonde hair remained. Even with the white fur covering her form, a female shape could still be discerned. Though the transformation may have only been going on for a few minutes, for those watching this horror unfold it felt as though it had been going on for hours. With a final deafening roar, Female Knight was no longer there inside the cage, as a massive creature resembling a wolf stood on it hind legs, gripping the bars of the cage with its almost human hands and shaking furiously as it tried to break free.

“It’s done. The cage is still holding.” Heavy Warrior breathed a sigh of relief as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

The massive white wolf with the long, blonde flowing mane through its head back and howled toward the night sky before growling once again. The creature looked around the area studying the figures before it, when its nose picked up on the scents of new creatures; with wide blue eyes it looked toward the armored man and the two dire wolves before snarling at them. The two dire wolves themselves continued to stand in front of Goblin Slayer while growling themselves at this large wolf.

“ _It’s not a goblin. A wolf? No, it stands on its hind legs like a human._ ” Goblin Slayer inquisitively studying the creature in the cage as it continued to snarl at him.

“ _Not a normal wolf beloved, a werewolf. Evidently, this human must have been bitten by such a creature and is now cursed to turn into one herself._ ”

“I see…a werewolf.” Goblin Slayer then took notice of his two dire wolves continuously growling so once again he placed his hands atop their heads. “Easy. Calm yourselves.”

Both Wolf and Snow stopped their growling as they looked toward the man in the armor, they then moved back to a sitting position though their bodies remained tense as they look at the werewolf.

“Yes, a werewolf. The wolf that bit her in the winter must have been a werewolf and over the last two months we’ve been either trying to find the wolf or a cure for her.” Heavy Warrior sighed as he thought back to the last two months.

“ _I see beloved, they’re looking for the werewolf who bit her, if they kill it, it should break the curse. As far as a cure…I do know of one sure fire cure, and that is to use silver to kill her._ ”

“So you’ve been looking for the wolf to undo the curse?” Goblin Slayer wished to verify this new information with Heavy Warrior.

“Yes, but the man who took it away has vanished. If we couldn’t find the wolf, we wanted to find a cure…one that did not involve killing her.”

“With silver correct?”

“Yes, I see that you’re quite informed.” Heavy Warrior had a light smile knowing that his comrade was already well-versed in werewolf mythology.

“Only as of recent.” Goblin Slayer slowly walked toward the cage, carefully judging how far the werewolf could reached with the swipe of its claws.

“Be careful.” Scout Boy was quick to caution.

“I’ve already judged what is a safe distance.” Goblin Slayer continued to study the creature, though all observations were based on what compared to the goblins and what he knew of regular wolves. “ _Longer limbs than a goblin champion, though the muscle mass does not seem as thick. Ferocity is like that of a cornered animal. Change in limbs would indicate that it is more agile then a human or goblin._ ”

“ _Are you having fun beloved, I see that your mind is already trying to make sense of what you’re seeing. You know, you need only ask me for any information, I have been around for quite a long time now. I am more than ready to be of use to you in whatever capacity._ ”

“Hmm.” Goblin Slayer pondered what was told to him before taking the Lich Queen up on her offer. “ _Silver is needed to kill the creature, though I imagine that any weapon made of silver would be effective against any living thing. Why specifically silver?_ ”

“ _Something about it being effective at detecting and purifying evil. Vampires, demons, and werewolves are often seen as chaotic evil, even gold has its roots in evil, but silver is incorruptible._ ”

“ _Would silver be effective against my curse?_ ”

“ _Beloved you wound me, and after all I’ve done for you. I tease beloved, but no, silver will not work on what you are suffering through. I am beyond a mere demon, so silver would not be of any use to you, and no I am not just telling you that to keep you from banishing me. Or am I? I am teasing of course beloved._ ” Lich Queen giggled, though her laughter did not carry any sinister connotation to it.

“Have you thought of something?” Heavy Warrior noticed Goblin Slayer in deep thought despite the werewolf snarling at him mere feet away.

“A thought has crossed my mind, but nothing concrete yet.” Goblin Slayer was dispassionate in his response as he turned toward Heavy Warrior while his dire wolves calmly stood by his side.

“That’s also the reason I asked for your assistance, you managed to tame these two dire wolves so I was hopeful you’d be able to help me tames this beast

“I did not tame them.”

“You…you didn’t tame them, but just now they responded to your commands.” Half-Elf Light Warrior was confused as he felt just as uncomfortable being around them as the werewolf.

“It’s not a command, but calm instruction. They are still wild animals and could fall back on instinct at any moment. They have placed their trust in me and I in them, a sense of respect.” Goblin Slayer looked toward the two dire wolves who looked back toward him. “If I were to fight them, they would fight back.”

“A sense of trust…I wonder if the same could be true for her. Is there a way to create that trust with the werewolf?” Heavy Warrior placed his hand upon his chin as he pondered the idea of possibly finding a way to work with the werewolf.

Wolf, Snow and the female werewolf suddenly picked up on the new scents carried in the air, for the two dire wolves it caused them to happily wag their tails but for the werewolf she could went into a rage and roared once again.

“What…what’s wrong?” Heavy Warrior backed away from the cage as his partner angrily pulled on the bars.

“We’re not alone.” Goblin Slayer reached for his mace as he looked around the area.

**Author’s Note: The reveal of the werewolf is here, though I feel I could have done better with the transformation portion. I’m not completely up to speed on how to describe it in such detail, more basing it off what I would expect to see if I saw someone transform. The werewolf section will lead to the true arc of the story (and no, not more time travel). Elder Animal Tracker’s revenge will be brutal against the man who crossed him…and those close to him.**

**Apologies for the light spoilers from LN 8 at the beginning, wanted to keep tying this original story back into the cannon stuff as much as possible.**


	45. Chapter 45

“Sh, she became a wolf!” Priestess uttered in a panicked whisper.

“I see, she’s been bit by a lycanthrope…a werewolf.” Dwarf Shaman carefully studied the situation as he stroked his beard. “I can see why the big guy wanted to keep this secret.”

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to ask others for assistance?” High Elf Archer was confused by the statement.

“Think about it Long-Ears, if the others found out she could change into an uncontrollable beast, rumor would spread, and it would tarnish their career as an adventurer. People would shun them, possibly try and kill them out of fear.”

“But I have come across werewolves who could control their animalistic instinct before, though the ones I met were on the side of chaotic evil.” Half-Demon Thief added her own experience.

“I too have come across those who are able to control their bestial instincts and continue on as adventurers in my journey’s before joining with my party. Perhaps we may be able to offer this insight to our comrades?” Lizard Priest then noticed the wolves and the werewolf seemed quite agitated. “Something is amiss, perhaps they have caught wind of our scents?”

“No, above us, look!” Half-Demon Thief pointed toward the sky above them.

The others looked up to see a small figure flying around the sky, Half-Dragon Daughter circled around the party below intrigued by the new wolf with the blonde mane.

“Is it an enemy?” Scout Boy quickly placed his hand upon the hilt of his sword as he looked up to see the winged creature circle them.

“No. It is my little sister.” Goblin Slayer looked up and motioned for the young girl to come down.

Half-Dragon Daughter smiled as she descended where she happily greeted Wolf and Snow before looking toward her big brother.

“You…your little sister?” Druid Girl looked at Goblin Slayer then back toward the young dragon girl before them. “ _They look nothing alike._ ”

Off in the woods, the others looked on nervously, Lizard Priest immediately wished to rush to his daughter side on the off chance they might scold her.

“You don’t suppose Orcbolg is mad at her?”

“I…I don’t think he’d yell at her.” Priestess nervously looked on as well.

“Let’s wait just a moment, with her there this means we haven’t been discovered yet.” Half-Demon Thief cautiously continued to look from behind the trees.

The werewolf growled and snarled at this new figure before her, and although Half-Dragon Daughter was a bit scared she felt better knowing it was locked up and her big brother was there to protect her, though she knew the others were around as well.

“Why did you come?” Goblin Slayer’s tone was as mechanical as ever but did not seem to carry any hint of annoyance of anger.

“I wanted to see what you were up to. You disappeared almost immediately this morning.” Half-Dragon Daughter did her best to put on a pout to make him feel guilty.

“Is that so?”

“Sure is, that and Papa said he was going to come out and make sure you were alright.”

“And just like that we’ve been discovered. Curse her innocent and honest nature, remind me to teach her how to lie better.” Half-Demon Thief placed a hand over her eyes before looking toward Lizard Priest.

“I’d prefer if you left that part out of her education young demoness.” Lizard Priest smiled before looking back toward the group in the clearing. “I think it best we make our presence known as my little one has already informed them.”

The remainder of Goblin Slayer’s party slowly emerged from the trees and calmly made their way over toward the others. Half-Dragon Daughter happily rushed towards her father who in turn scooped her up and placed her upon his right shoulder as he continued on.

“What’s…what’s the meaning of this?” Heavy Warrior was rather annoyed to see these others here then looked back toward Goblin Slayer. “I told you not to involve the others.”

“Begging your pardon, Milord Goblin Slayer did not summon us, we came of our own volition.” Lizard Priest set his daughter down, then bowed his head before turning back toward his daughter. “And my little one, what are you doing here?”

“I heard you all say you’d be coming to check on big brother so I decided to tag along.”

“Does your mother know you are with us?”

“I told her I’d come to check on you and big brother, she said to leave if things looked dangerous. She wasn’t happy at first but said it would be alright since you were here.”

“I see, but back to the matter at hand.” Lizard Priest turned back toward Heavy Warrior’s party then looked toward the snarling wolf in the cage. “It would appear that that your comrade has met with a most unfortunate event.”

“How much did you see?”

“We saw her transformation, though it did see very painful. Again, I must apologize for our intrusion, we only wanted to make sure Milord Goblin Slayer did not need our assistance.”

“I asked Goblin Slayer to aid me due to his knowledge of wolves, but also due to him being a very silent individual. The less people who know of this the better.” Heavy Warrior frowned as he looked back toward his comrade, no his lover, in the form of the white wolf.

“Rest assured, we don’t plan on saying anything. You are comrades of ours as well.” High Elf Archer frowned as she looked back at the werewolf that had been Female Knight.

“Then while you’re here, I don’t suppose you might know of some way to help her. No elvish or dwarfish remedy to help with this kind of curse?”

“Sorry to tell you lad, but I’m not aware of any cures for something like this.”

“It’s the same with elvish lore, in the 200 years I’ve been around I’ve known of anyone who had to deal with a curse such as this.”

“The only thought that might come to mind might be an exorcism, but I don’t know it myself and I don’t believe that Mother Superior is familiar with the spell either.”

Half-Dragon Daughter looked around as the adults spoke then looked back toward the werewolf in the cage and slowly drew closer. She made sure not to get to close as she carefully studied the creature all the while Wolf and Snow stayed by her side.

“Be careful.” Priestess moved toward the young dragon gently placing her hands on the girl’s shoulders. “I fear that our former comrade may not be of sound mind.”

“Why doesn’t she speak with us? The other wolf people we met spoke with us in that village.”

Despite the werewolf growling and snarling at them, everyone turned their attention toward the young girl.

“They spoke to…what other wolf people?” Heavy Warrior moved to kneel as he spoke with the young girl.

“There were wolf people my mother and I met in the village. There were a bunch of different races there, but that was a long time ago.” Half-Dragon Daughter frowned as she tried to think back to the village they had visited. “Mama would know a lot more than me.”

“Then perhaps it would be best to ask your mother then.” Lizard Priest then pondered how to go about asking the question as he closed his eyes.

“Don’t you mean your wife Scaly?”

Lizard Priest did his best to clear his throat, thankful the darkness partially hid the blush on his face.

“You’re married, just what happened in the two months we’ve been away?” Scout Boy looked toward the young dragon girl then back to the lizardman.

“I really don’t want to involve any others, this is already more than what I was ready to accept.” Heavy Warrior sighed as he looked over all of Goblin Slayer’s party.

“I understand your concern, but if none of us are any closer to aiding your partner, then perhaps seeking further help will be most beneficial.” Lizard Priest smiled as he looked toward Heavy Warrior. “Rest easy that she will not expose the unfortunate curse that has befallen your comrade.”

Heavy Warrior finally relented and nodded his head in his willingness to accept any help he could get. The rest of Goblin Slayer’s party slowly made their way back to town, while Heavy Warrior’s party opted to stay out in the field with the Female Werewolf. Before he could leave, Heavy Warrior placed a hand on Goblin Slayer’s shoulder.

“Just a moment.”

“Yes?”

“You said before the interruption you had a possible idea, do you mind sharing?”

“I’m told that silver can be used to purify evil, if stabbed with a silver weapon will cause death, then perhaps a silver fixture could suppress the evil.”

“A silver fixture?” Heavy Warrior was slightly confused by the comment.

“A ring or medallion, if worn maybe that will prevent the change. A thought anyways.”

“A silver ring…that might be something to try. I’d also like to think about that “trust” you mentioned earlier. Thank you again for your aid and understanding.”

“We are comrades are we not?”

“That we are.”

Heavy Warrior smiled as he watched the group of adventurers and two dire wolves departed, he then frowned as he looked back toward the now werewolf Female Knight who continued to thrash about in the metal cage.

“I swear we’ll find a way to help you.”

xxxx

“A werewolf huh? I don’t know of any cures myself other than silver to slay a werewolf, but my little one is right we did meet some Wolf Tribe Padfoots in the village of Crossroads.” Half-Dragon Mother smiled as she stroked her sleeping daughter’s head.

“Crossroads?” Lizard Priest pondered.

“A hidden village where various races, prayer and non-prayer, are able to live in peace. Very few are able to even glimpse it, most even think of it as nothing more than a myth. If you don’t mind a few days travel southeast of here, we can go and see if anyone there could help your comrade.”

“I am forever in your debt, you truly are far wiser than I.”

“Shh, keep your voice down dear, you’ll wake this one.” Half-Dragon Mother smiled warmly as she looked toward her daughter then back to her lover, tail swaying slightly. “While I appreciate the praise, perhaps a bit later, when we are alone, you can show me how grateful you are.”

xxxx

The next morning, Heavy Warrior and his party gradually arrived back at the guild hall to meet up with the others. Female Knight was present with them, though back in her armor, she had a tired expression about her face. Once a seat in the tavern, Padfoot Waitress was quick to rush over and take their order.

“Morning, a pleasure to see you all back again. My you look exhausted…I wonder what activities you two have been up to?” Padfoot Waitress smiled sheepishly as she noticed the slight embarrassment on Heavy Warrior and Female Knight’s face.

“We’re ready to order. I’ll have…”

“Roast Meat…raw, I mean rare.” Female Knight was quick to interrupt Heavy Warrior as she found herself salivating at the thought of food.

“Roast coming up, will that be all for the table?”

“The roast is just for me. Bring me beer as well.” Female Knight grunted as she looked back toward Padfoot Waitress and found herself slightly growling.

Padfoot Waitress was indeed surprised by this, but Heavy warrior was quick to then order some food for the table and they continued about their business. Female Knight had a ravenous appetite as she devoured her food and beer in a rather uncouth manner much to the surprise of the others around them. The others soon went about their own meal, waiting patiently for Goblin Slayer and the rest of his party to join them, in the middle of her meal Female Knight’s ears began to twitch, she paused and closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath through her nose.

“They’re here.”

Her reply was calm as the others looked toward her then a glance toward the front showed them Goblin Slayer’s party, minus their leader, slowly approaching.

“ _She was able to detect them so easily despite how loud it is in here. This must be a side effect of the werewolf’s curse._ ” Heavy Warrior was in surprise of all of this as he turned his gaze from Goblin Slayer’s party to his lover.

“Good morning.” High Elf Archer was as energetic as ever as she joined the party by the nearby table.

Half-Dragon Mother and Daughter were down as well, she took their order before leaving while the rest were able to discuss their plans for this coming trip.

“She has confirmed that there is a hidden village we can visit which should allow us to inquire further.” Lizard Priest made sure to keep the details to a minimum so as not to draw attention toward Female Knight.

“Oh thank goodness, how far away are we traveling?” Heavy Warrior smiled at the thought of seeking out any help.

“Six days southeast of here. We’d best gather supplies for a week, we can resupply at the village before our return.” Lizard Priest

“Then that gives us time to prepare, hopefully we’ll find something to help.” Heavy Warrior had a smile on his face as he thought about what might be of possible method to help his partner.

Soon enough Goblin Slayer came in with Cow Girl and the two dire wolves, Priestess was quick to greet them and get him caught up with Lizard Priest had explained, though making sure to keep the werewolf curse hidden from Cow Girl.

“I see.”

“So you’re going to be helping another one of your friends? Be safe on your journey and be sure to take Wolf and Snow with you.” Cow Girl happily smiled before going to greet her little sister.

It was some time after lunch when all supplies were gathered and the two parties were ready to depart, the younger party members would ride in the wagon attached to it was the cage used for the werewolf while the other members would journey alongside it. Prior to leaving, Heavy Warrior had put in a request with the blacksmith to forge a ring made of silver, the blacksmith teased the adventurer that he was not in the fashion of making an engagement ring but would do his best.

The journey toward this village had been enjoyable, as night fell though, Female Knight would once again fall victim to the curse. As per the suggestion of the others, rather than trying to fight through the pain, she would calmly tell herself that those around her were friends. The first two nights showed no significant change as the werewolf continued to snarl at the group, doing its best to break the cage. The third night however, the werewolf was rather calm, though it continued to grip the bars of its cage it quietly growled as it looked over everyone from the cage.

“Look, she’s calm.” Druid Girl was in shock of seeing this.

Heavy Warrior and the others looked on with wide eyes as the werewolf was no longer snarling at them as it had for the last two months. Wolf and Snow were the first to move toward the cage, cautiously smelling the wolf in the cage who looked down at them. The werewolf tilted its head toward the side and studying the wolves, its mind a mix of human and animal trying comprehend everything around it.

“Are…are you okay, do you recognize us?” Heavy Warrior cautiously approached the cage, still keeping his hands towards his side.

The werewolf turned its attention towards him and started to snarl, but once again did not lash out. He hesitated for a moment, then continued forward slowly extending his arms towards her.

“What…what are you doing?” Half-Elf Light Warrior was nervous as he watched his leader approach the cage.

“Trying to establish trust.” Heavy Warrior continued forward slowly extending his arm out. “ _Goblin Slayer said he didn’t train his wolves, just showed them he could be trusted. Hopefully she’ll remember me._ ”

In his mind, he was worried she might try and bite him, but fortunately with his armored gauntlets that might provide some form of protection. He let out heavy sigh before he calmly stretched his arm out and gently patted the werewolf’s right paw, the werewolf’s eyes were wide as this, but strangely it did not growl or snarl, just stare at the human.

“She…she didn’t attack.” High Elf Archer was indeed surprised by this as a small smile crossed her face.

“Yes…she didn’t.” Heavy Warrior too smiled as he moved his hand away from the werewolf’s.

The next night was similar, the werewolf would slightly growl at the adventurers from time to time but continued to remain rather calm within the cage. Scout Boy suggested showing her weapons of choice and brought forward her sword and shield. The werewolf once again looked curiously at the items, in its mind it was able to recall using the items and slowly reached for them. Its right clawed hand reached for the sword while its left went for the shield and as it held them remembered using them. It struck the cage with the sword, which made many of the adventurers jump from shock, but soon enough the werewolf dropped the items before growling as it walked about the cage.

“It’s a small step, but I think she’s closer to remembering who she was.” Lizard Priest remarked with a light smile.

“We’ll be by the village soon enough.” Half-Dragon Mother added as she took hold of her lover’s hand.

xxxx

That night, back amongst the fog-filled streets, Elder Animal Tracker and Animal Wrangler finally brought forth the last two wagons of their promised cargo. It had taken quite a while for them to round up enough men to aid them in this venture, and even longer to disposes of them to save themselves as much money as possible. Necromancer smiled as he saw the last of his required prey before then gasped with delight at the additional cage brought in as well.

“Are those Arachne?” He marveled at the two large spider-like creatures.

“I figured we’d bring you something extra since we were so late on our last delivery.” Elder Animal Tracker smirked then quickly changed his expression back to a frown. “With this, are you satisfied?”

“You’ve brought me all I asked for and more, I am truly hopeful that after you have dealt with this Goblin Slayer we can continue to do business.” Necromancer chuckled to himself as his followers pushed the large cages into the sewers. “Do you know where to find him?”

“I already have a location to start with, it’s only a matter of time before I have him where I want him.”

“And what shall you do to him when you have caught him?”

“Prolong his suffering as much as I can.” Elder Animal Tracker sneered before he too started to chuckle.

xxx

Within two days later, the party arrived at the village, or rather they would have but all they saw before them was the entrance to a cave, covered by several rocks with a strange black mist emanating from within. Everyone looked toward the caved-in entrance with unsure eyes then turned their attention back to Half-Dragon Mother.

“We’re here.” Half-Dragon Mother had a small smirk on her face.

“But, there’s nothing here. I only see this ruined cave entrance with a strange miasma present.” Lizard Priest curiously looked from the cave entrance to his lover.

“It’s a trick papa.” Half-Dragon Daughter took hold of her father’s hand.

Half-Dragon Mother walked forward and vanished into the cave entrance, much to the surprise of everyone there. Half-Dragon Daughter began to walk forward pulling her father behind her and the two also vanished into the cave entrance. Slowly the others walked forward, leaving the wagons behind, and entered through the cave entrance. The party found themselves not inside a cave, but the entrance of a large village, even bigger than Frontier Town. Inside the town were several individuals of different race who then turned their attention toward the large party.

“Incredible, a hidden village.” Lizard Priest looked around, above them was a clear blue sky as what they had seen but he was sure they had seen nothing but forest and hills before they entered.

Before they could go any further, six humanoid figures encased in armor walked forward with weapons at the ready. The adventurers immediately reached for their own weapons, but Half-Dragon Mother motioned for them to stop. As the figures drew closer, it was clear that these figures were figures composed of wood and metal with bright shining green eyes.

“What, what are these things?” High-Elf Archer nervously watched as they drew closer.

“I’ll be, Warforged.” Dwarf Shaman smiled as he marveled at their construction. “Constructs made of wood and metal but they possess souls and intellect. They were created for battle and defense long ago, this my first time seeing one.”

“Be calm, they only mean to ensure we will not cause any problems for the village.” Half-Dragon Mother smiled as she looked back toward her friends.

The Warforged soldiers examined the party members, they moved around them only stopping to carefully examine two of the party members, Goblin Slayer and. The Warforged leaned in, their glowing green eyes making Female Knight feel quite uncomfortable; Goblin Slayer however calmly looked back at them from within his dark helmet.

“ _They seem to sense me beloved, not that they can do anything about it._ ”

“We seek to inquire about a potential cure for our friend there.” Half-Dragon Mother motioned toward Female Knight who the Warforged examined.

“And this one?” The Warforged nearest Goblin Slayer commented as he could sense the menace radiating off the man.

“Oh, please don’t mind Goblin Slayer, he may seem…evil, but he’s quite nice.” Priestess was quick to defend her teacher.

The six Warforged looked over the group one final time before moving aside to allow them entry into the large village.

“I assume that means were good to enter?” Half-Demon Thief curiously looked back toward the strange figures.

“Yes, those are the guardians of Crossroads.” Half-Dragon Mother happily took her daughter’s hand as they walked into the town.

“Wait, if that means they’re looking at individuals that might be problematic, how come they passed over the demon?” Scout Boy was curious until he felt a pain in his right shoulder, turning he saw the angry stare from Half-Demon Thief

“Half-Demon you idiot! And evidently I don’t have quite the menacing aura that Goblin Slayer does.” Half-Demon Thief sighed a little as she turned back toward Goblin Slayer then towards the rest of her party. “How far I’ve fallen, a once feared assassin now not even worth bothering with.”

“I wouldn’t think of it as losing your touch, but you becoming more sociable.” Priestess was quick to smile and try to cheer up her friend.

“Can you tell us about this wonderous place? A hidden entrance to protect it, yet what we see would be no different from our own Frontier Town.” Lizard Priest marveled at the town hidden within this magical envelope.

“I don’t know all of the details myself, but from what I was told, long ago during the age of the gods, there were those who were tired of the constant battle and wars that raged across the land, so they decided to create a sanctuary to hide away from the conflict. Thus, with the aid of the gods of light and order, the magical deizens created this place where individuals could live and work in peace regardless of race…Crossroads.” Half-Dragon Mother motioned to the town around her.

“What produces this magical barrier, I can’t help but feel it would strain magic users to constantly enchant the whole area.” Dwarf Shaman looked at the size of the village, or town rather, noting it was even larger than frontier town, more akin to Water Town.

“There is a large stone within the center of the village that acts as the power source for the magical barrier that enshrouds this place.” 

The party walked through the village seeing all the various races that would normally be absent from the populated towns they visited. Within the market place they could see several familiar races that would be normally present in any town such as elves, dwarves, humans, centaurs and padfoot, but there were also other races not normally be absent. Near a fruit stand was a leopard-like figure, a Tabaxi, conversing with the merchant, a humanoid turtle figure, a Tortle.

Elsewhere, was three avian-humanoid figures walking down the road conversing with one another over past adventurers. The first had a body structure of a human but was covered in feathers, the head was like that of a hawk with large taloned-feet with massive wings attached to their back, these were the Aarakocra.

“This place is amazing.” Half-Demon Thief smiled as she took in the sight. “My brother and I had heard of such a place, but thought they were but mere rumors.”

“Here we may find some individuals who can aid the knight with her curse.” Half-Dragon Mother looked around the busy marketplace then smiled brilliantly as she caught sight of a friend she had met a while back. “I see someone that I haven’t seen in quite a while, why don’t you all look around the area while I go visit. This will allow my daughter to see her young friend as well and allow me the opportunity to introduce my husband to her.”

Quickly taking the surprised Lizard Priest by the hand, Half-Dragon Mother and her daughter rushed off to go and speak with a female harpy and her own daughter. The rest of the adventurers were still a little shocked by everything around them, so slowly broke into smaller groups to explore the area around them.

xxxx

Goblin Slayer and his party casually strolled along the street taking in the sights and smells of all the various stalls around them. Goblin Slayer paused momentarily in front of a certain stall which housed numerous vials, the merchant of the stall was a well-endowed woman who’s bright yellow eyes stared at the man like a carnivore stalking prey.

“Hmm…these vials, gasoline?”

“No…aphrodisiacs.” The woman smiled as something behind her started to move.

Just as Goblin Slayer set the vials down, he felt something wrap around his ankles. He looked down to see a red reptilian tail curling around him, moving rather quickly as it bound his legs and arms at his sides, squeezing him tight enough to keep him from moving. He then looked up to see the rest of the woman’s body emerge from behind the stall, the bottom half of her body was snake-like while the top half looked human. This female beauty had long red hair, three red scales on either side of her face and two, golden decorative hair pins as she moved and lustfully placed her arms around him. The rest of his party could only look on with wide eyes at the sight before them.

“She’s a lamia.” Half-Demon Thief watched this feeling rather jealous watching her drape herself around Goblin Slayer.

“My, my, what a fine specimen of a man before me. Hidden behind your armor, quite mysterious, aren’t we?” The Lamia gazed upon this man with lustful eyes. “Can I convince you to return with me to my village and be our tribe husband? We lamia are all female and unable to reproduce on our own. Come with me and I’ll help you with anything.”

Goblin Slayer was silent for a moment as he looked toward this woman, his first time having seen a lamia, then he finally replied.

“Do you know of techniques to kill goblins?”

“Huh, kill goblins?” The Lamia was completely shocked by this man’s comment.

“Mama, don’t make me use the ladle with cold water!”

A new voice drew everyone’s attention, and off to the side were four individuals of different race, but around each of their necks were guild tags of emerald color. There was a young lamia who resembled the one around Goblin Slayer, but had only two red scales on either side of her cheeks and two golden hair pins atop her head. The next was a young woman medium-length messy blue hair and bright orange eyes, stop her head was one strand of hair standing upright. Her feet were large talons and in place of normal arms were blue feathered wings, a harpy. The next was a large centaur with long blonde hair, much like Female Knights, and indeed the buxom beauty’s upper body was clad in armor. The final figure was a human male with a kind face and bright brown eyes, he was dressed like any adventurer with a sword hanging from his side.

“Oh hello dear, I was just greeting this fellow adventurer.” The Lamia Mother smiled as she uncoiled herself from Goblin Slayer.

“Liar, you were trying to steal another tribal husband!” Lamia Priestess puffed out her cheeks in annoyance of her mother’s actions then looked toward the armored man. “I’m sorry for her behavior.”

“It’s fine.” Goblin Slayer’s response carried no emotion to it.

“ _It is far from fine beloved! How this bloated cow in snake’s skin try to ensnare you! She’s almost as bad as the Archbishop from Water Town! I won’t let anyone take you free me! Hissss!_ ”

“Hmm.”

“I can’t help it my dear, after all you have you’re precious darling there by your side.” Lamia Mother smiled as she teased her daughter.

“Well that is true, Darling is always…” Lamia Priestess was suddenly caught off by one of her fellow party members.

“Hold thy tongue serpent! My Master does not belong to you!” Centaur Knight was quick to jump in and interrupt Lamia Priestess. “Come Master, ride upon my back and we shall flee this wretched temptress!”

“Hold it right there you horse-ass, you’re just trying to steal Darling all to yourself!”

“Then if you’re fighting, I shall take Boss for myself then.” Harpy Scout smiled as she snuggled the young man’s arm.

“Stay out of this Chicken-Wing!” Centaur Knight and Lamia Priestess quickly turned their attention toward Harpy Scout.

While the three girls were fighting, Human Swordsman was quick to move away and apologize to the others for his party’s actions.

“So sorry about that, my party means well, they’re just a bit…animated at times.”

“That’s your party huh?” Dwarf Shaman remarked as he looked over the three girls then back towards the young man with a smirk. “Are you sure that’s not a harem you have there lad? Not that I’d blame you.”

“I get that a lot, but no we are all adventurers I can assure you.” Human Swordsman laughed then looked back toward Lamia Mother. “We’re on our way to see the Mermaid Queen, apparently her Daughter may have been taken captive by a Sea Witch. While on the way, we wanted to drop by and say hello.”

“How sweet of you Darling, you know, if need be…I’d be more than happy to take you for my own.” Lamia Mother’s tone was as seductive as ever.

“I’m fine but thank you for the offer.”

“You’re no fun Darling.” Lamia Mother pouted for a moment before becoming more serious in her demeanor. “Be careful on your journey, there are tales of slimes that can assume human form and Arachne roaming the forest. There is even rumor of a female dullahan riding through the forest, a female grim reaper as it were.”

“Thank you for the warning, I will keep them all safe I swear.” Human Swordsman commented with a stern expression about his face.

“I can see why my precious daughter is so taken with you Darling.” Lamia Mother smiled then turned attention back to the other adventurers. “My apology for my earlier actions, only teasing. Was there anything I could get for you? Perhaps you fine young ladies would enjoy some of the lamia tribe aphrodisiacs, there quite effective on the men you desire.”

For a brief moment, Half-Demon Thief, High Elf Archer and Priestess had each considered buying this magic elixir, their faces turning red as they thought about it, but knew they’d never hear the end of the mocking laughter of the others if they did.

“W, we’re fine, thank you.” Priestess smiled as she bowed her head in an attempt to hide her blushing face.

“Good luck on your quest.” High Elf Archer smiled and nodded toward Human Swordsman.

“You as well.” Human Swordsman returned the smile before turning back to his still squabbling party members.

xxxx

Elsewhere, Heavy Warrior and his party also traveled around the town, happily taking in the sights. As of late, Female Knight had not been so tired or stressed being out and about which brought a smile to Heavy Warrior’s face. The continued to travel around the town but soon heard the sounds of cheering and yelling, they looked around the area and soon found a large crowd gathered around what looked like an open stage. Upon further examination, they noticed it was a square raised platform with poles at each corner, around these poles were three sets of ropes going around the perimeter. In this “ring” were individuals, grappling with one another while others were jumping off the corners to drop down upon their opponents.

“Most bizarre.” Heavy Warrior was confused by what he was seeing.

“What in the world are they doing?” Half-Elf Light Warrior was also confused by what he was seeing.

“It would appear they are engaging in hand to hand combat, but it does not seem as though they’re trying to kill their opponents. Perhaps some form of training?” Female Knight suggested as she watched a lizard place a padfoot girl in a choke hold.

“It’s called wrestling.” A young feminine voice called out to them.

The party turned to see a slender young girl with bright blue eyes and greyish hair, but what was most striking about her was her dog-like ears above her head and fluffy tail behind her.

“You said wrestling?” Heavy Warrior asked with a slightly puzzled expression.

“I don’t quite understand it myself, but my master seems to enjoy it and has convinced the residents of the village to take it up as a form of entertainment.” The Wolf-Girl paused suddenly as she started to sniff this new party, looking carefully at Female Knight. “It’s strange, you smell like a wolf?”

“You can smell that on me? Are you part wolf too?” Female Knight was immediately surprised to find this young woman.

“Yes that’s correct, a member of one of the Wolf-Padfoot Tribes.”

“Then maybe you can help us. My partner was attacked by a werewolf and we’re trying to find a way to undo the curse that will not force us to kill her.” Heavy Warrior was quick seek the guidance of this wolf-girl.

“Hmm. I only know of silver being used to slay a werewolf, the only other way to rid yourself of the curse is to slay the one that bit her. I take it you haven’t been able to find that one?” Wolf-Girl asked as she allowed her gaze to wander back and forth from the party to the ring.

“Unfortunately no.” Female Knight sighed as she looked defeated in hearing this.

“Listen, before you start giving up, there are a couple of other wolf-padfoots around here, from a different tribe, they might be able to help you where I wasn’t.” Wolf-Girl carefully sniffed the group once again. “I smell others scents from you…other wolves.”

“Those are probably the dire wolves our comrade has with him.” Druid Girl remarked as she looked toward Heavy Warrior.

“Dire Wolves? You’d best leave then before my master finds out.”

“Why, does your master not like dire wolves?” Scout Boy was worried this might cause a problem.

“Oh no, in fact he loves all animals, but has a bad habit of attacking other he thinks are using animals for their own purposes. If he finds this friend of yours with the dire wolves, he’ll assume their being mistreated and attempt to “free” them.” Wolf-Girl smiled before waving toward the adventurers. “I wish you luck in finding a cure for the curse.”

xxxx

Half-Dragon Mother and the others quickly rushed to meet up with the other mother and daughter pair she had spied from a distance. Upon seeing one another, both mothers smiled and embraced each other while the two young daughters happily held hands and smiled. The other mother was a harpy with long dark blue hair but maintained a mostly human appearance save her tridactyl feet and white feathering around parts of her body, primarily her bright green eyes almost acting like a mask. Her wings were hidden behind her lower back. Her daughter shared the same white feathers are her mother but had medium length teal hair.

“It has been far too long, I am glad you are doing well.” Half-Dragon Mother was surprised to find her friend here.

“You as well, but oh…your wing.” Harpy Mother was concerned as she noticed her friend was missing one of her wings.

“Lost in a battle, but if it meant saving my little one, it was a worthy sacrifice.” Half-Dragon Mother smiled even as she placed her hand upon her scarred shoulder.

“To save you, what happened?” Harpy Daughter looked from Half-Dragon Mother to her friend.

“Men came and attacked us. They hurt mom and took me captive.”

“That sounds horrifying, did you go and save her by yourself?” Harpy Mother quickly turned her attention back toward her friend.

“No…I found someone to help me, someone very precious.” Half-Dragon Mother smiled warmly as she looked back toward Lizard Priest.

Harpy Mother and Daughter looked to see the tall lizardman walk forward with hands pressed together and smiled as he bowed his head toward them.

“He’s my papa!” Half-Dragon daughter smiled as she rushed forward and took hold of her father’s large hand.

“A pleasure to meet you.”

“Thank you so much for saving my friend and her daughter.” Harpy Mother returned the smile and bowed toward him as did her daughter.

“It was nothing at all, what kind of adventurer would I be to have turned my back on someone in need, especially a noble dragon and her daughter.”

“Was it just you?” Harpy Daughter was in awe of the mighty lizardman.

“Not just me, I am part of a party that aided in her recovery.”

“A party…of lizardmen?”

“A mixture, elf, dwarf, demon and human.” Lizard Priest replied with a proud smile.

“Human? I thought you hated the humans after what they did to your last love?” Harpy Mother asked her friend with puzzled look.

“I did, I even doubted the humans here, but those that came to aid me, have been nothing if not supportive. They’ve given me shelter, purpose and now I have a new love too.” Half-Dragon Mother took hold of Lizard Priest’s other hand and squeezed.

Half-Dragon Daughter released her father’s hand to quickly rush toward her friend to brag about all the new things that had happened.

“Along with a new papa, I now have a huge family. There’s grandpa, a bunch of older sisters who help me and allow me to help them, and I even have a big brother!”

“A big brother? Lucky.” Harpy Daughter puffed out her cheeks.

“He looks a little scary at first, he’s always wearing armor, but he actually very nice. He even has two big dire wolves and lets me pet them.”

“You get to pet dire wolves? No fair, I want to do that.”

“Big brother is here with Wolf and Snow, if you ask him I’m sure he’ll let you pet them too.”

While the young girls were talking, Harpy Mother continued to speak with Half-Dragon Mother and Lizard Priest.

“I’m glad that you were able to get away safely, there have been troubling rumors going around and it may relate to what you had to endure.”

“What kind of rumors?” Half-Dragon Mother was not sure she wanted to hear this, but it might clarify things for her.

“Rumors of various creatures of different races being abducted, sold into slavery, for entertainment at a blood sport arena, and rumors of someone looking to experiment on them.” Harpy Mother clenched her hands as she thought about it and was thankful for the safety of the magical barrier.

“You believe these men we dealt with were part of that group?” Lizard Priest frowned as he heard the troublesome revelation.

“I can’t say for sure, but I would exercise caution. Even with the Demon Lord dealt with, these are still troubling times we live in.”

Half-Dragon Mother frowned as she turned toward her daughter, even more thankful that her love and his comrades had come to their rescue.

“I appreciate the concern; I shudder to think what might have happened if we had not received any help.” Half-Dragon Mother then remembered the whole reason she had come back to the village. “With that said, perhaps you can help us?”

“I’ll certainly try, what do you need? If it’s aphrodisiacs, you’d best talk to that lamia.” Harpy Mother smiled as she looked toward Lizard Priest and then back to her friend.

“While it does sound tempting, a comrade of ours was bitten by a werewolf, we’re hopeful to speak with someone of the wolf tribe that may know of a way to remove the curse.”

“I don’t know about removing a curse myself, but I do remember seeing a pair of wolf-padfoots earlier, they were here gathering supplies for their tribe. I’ll help you look for them and get the opportunity to meet the rest of these people you speak of.”

“Thank you.”

The three parties soon meat up once again and began their search for these two members of the wolf-tribe. Soon enough, Harpy Mother caught sight of one of the wolf-padfoots she had seen earlier, it was quite easy to pick her out due to how tall this wolf girl was and her bright pink fur, beside this tall wolf-girl was a second wolf-girl of same fur, but much shorter in size. Both were in the process of buying meat when they picked up on the scents of the dire wolves and something else that had a wolf-like scent to it. They turned to see the large group of people made of different races, the taller wolf-girl was hesitant as a frown crossed her face, but her younger companion was happily wagging her tail at the sight of these people.

“Hi there, you want to join my pack? Just know that I’m the boss!” The young wolf-girl with bright pink fur and orange-yellow eyes smiled at them.

**Author’s Note: Here’s the chapter I mentioned would have some cameos here and there, hopefully I made them easy enough to spot (there were four animes I pulled from). It’s a bit of a slow chapter, but I’ll try to pick that up in the next one, the next chapter will move us closer to the next arc, I’ll drop the title for it in the closing line. I wanted to try and make this village a diverse place so I pulled from D &D sections on races that would exits in this world.**

**Next chapter will have us try some new techniques to aid Female Knight, have Elder Animal Tracker find Goblin Slayer and…I’ll leave that last part a surprise.**


	46. Chapter 46

“Join your pack?” Half-Demon Thief raised an eyebrow at the comment.

“Remember though, I’m the boss!” Smaller Wolf-Girl proudly placed her hands on her hips as she laughed.

“I’ve already told you before, we don’t invite non-wolf padfoots to join our pack! Besides, I’m the boss of our pack.” Larger Wolf-Girl frowned as she literally looked down on her younger sister.

“I’m going to form my own pack then!” Smaller Wolf-Girl too frowned back at her sister.

“You dare challenge your boss!” Larger Wolf-Girl was practically snarling at her sister.

“You be boss of your pack and I’ll be boss of mine!” Smaller-Wolf Girl snarled back.

While the two wolf-girls growled at one another, the rest of the party could only look on with puzzled expressions.

“They’re like two dogs arguing over the same piece of meat.” Scout Boy whispered to Half-Elf Light Warrior and Druid Girl.

“Perhaps we should stop them.” Priestess was not sure if the two were only playing or truly ready to start fighting.

“Two alphas fighting for dominance.” Goblin Slayer’s tone carried a hint of annoyance as he continued to watch them argue.

“So how do we stop them Orcbolg? If they’re like wolves, I would rather not get bit.”

Goblin Slayer was silent for a moment, then looked toward Wolf and Snow and though about the best way he was able to calm the two dire wolves when they were agitated. Finally, Goblin Slayer calmly walked forward toward the two girls who continued to growl at one another, now completely oblivious of this man. Goblin Slayer reached out with both hands and placed them atop the girl’s heads and gave them a few gentle pats. The actions quickly brought the two girls back to reality as a slightly blush crossed their faces as they looked toward the armored man.

“Clam down.”

Goblin Slayer then removed his hands as the two wolf-girls soon returned to their normal standing positions, though they tried to put on a strong face, the blush on their faces and their wagging tails gave away their feelings.

“Th, thank you. Sorry for that.” Larger Wolf-Girl gave a cough as she did her best to regain her composure.

“Yes…thank you.” Smaller Wolf-Girl looked down ground.

“P, perhaps you could be allowed into our pack. You do seem like a wolf…you even smell like a wolf.” Larger Wolf-Girl sniffed the armored man.

“That would be the scent of the dire wolves.”

“Dire Wolves?” Smaller Wolf-Girl now raised her own eyebrow then spotted the two dire wolves beside the man.

The two wolf-girl padfoots moved forward, sniffing at the two dire wolves who returned the action. This continued for a few moments more until the wolf-girl padfoots and the dire wolves started the wag their tails.

“What fine wolves you have there…they’re not your slaves are they?” Larger Wolf-Girl had a slight frown as she looked back toward the armored man.

“No, I aided them and they chose to accompany me.”

“I see, that would explain why they are so calm around you and the others. You have earned my respect adventurer.” Larger Wolf-Girl smiled as she bowed her head toward the adventurer.

“Then it’s settles I shall allow one who values wolves into my pack. Remember that I am your…”

“You’re part of my pack little sister!” Larger Wolf-Girl growled as she looked back to her little sister.

“Uh please, before you go back to arguing, we could really use your assistance?” Priestess was quite nervous the two would go right back to their earlier.

The two wolf-girls turned their attention back to the large group of adventurers to see them quickly recomposed themselves, wishing to avoid any other embarrassment.

“My apology, now how can we be help such a fine group of adventurers?” Larger Wolf-Girl smiled as she looked over the group.

“My comrade requires the expertise of the wolf-tribe padfoots.” Heavy Warrior motioned toward Female Knight.

Smaller Wolf-Girl moved toward Female Knight, sniffing the young woman, curious that she could smell a different wolf scent coming off her.

“You smell like a wolf, but…something’s different?”

“I was bitten by a werewolf sometime ago, we’ve been trying to find the one who bit me but have had no luck. Do you know of any particular method that I could try or use to remove the wolf’s curse?”

“Why would anyone want to remove part of the wolf from them?” Smaller Wolf-Girl shook her head.

“A werwolf’s curse can initially be problematic, the changes are caused by phases of the moon. The red moon or “blood moon” can be the most difficult for werewolves to control.” Larger Wolf-Girl placed a hand upon her chin as she thought about the curse.

“What’s wrong with the “blood moon”?” High Elf Archer asked as she crossed her arms.

“The “blood moon” increases the bloodlust of curses animals. Wolf Padfoots are also affected by the phases of the moon, but we have long since learned control our emotions.” Larger Wolf-Girl then turned her attention back toward Female Knight. “Only the death of the one who bit you will remove the curse. My apology.”

“Is there nothing else I can do?” Female Knight was rather distraught as she heard this.

“Undoing the curse is not the only choice left to you, you too can learn to control the inner beast in you.”

“Control the beast?” Female Knight was confused upon hearing this.

“Just the same way these wolves are calm around all these people, you too can establish this trust with the wolf side to where the werewolf would have your mind.” Smaller Wolf-Girl smiled as she reached over the pet the two large dire wolves.

“What about silver, could silver be used to control the inner beast?” Heavy warrior thought back to what Goblin Slayer mentioned and to the ring he asked the Blacksmith to create before leaving.

“Hmm…I’m not sure of that myself, but it might be worth a try I imagine.” Larger Wolf-Girl shrugged her shoulders.

“I wish to thank you for your aid.” Female Knight bowed her head toward the two wolf padfoots then looked back to Heavy Warrior. “Then we should continue what you were trying these last few nights until we find the werewolf or that man who took it away.”

“Yes. Thank you for all your advice, we’d like to treat you all to some food before we depart.” Heavy Warrior smiled toward the two wolf padfoot girls and the Harpy Mother and Daughter.

“Meat!” Smaller Wolf-Girl’s eyes lit up as she began to salivate at the thought of getting some meat.

“We’ll gladly accept your generosity.” Larger Wolf-Girl smiled with a slight nod.

“As will we.” Harpy Mother smiled as well.

Harpy Mother and Half-Dragon Mother led the party towards a nearby building which housed a large tavern and banquet hall. Goblin Slayer followed behind the party when he felt someone squeeze his hand, he looked down to see Half-Dragon Daughter and Harpy Daughter looking up at him.

“What is it?”

“Big Brother, would it be okay for my friend to pet Wolf and Snow?” Half-Dragon Daughter smiled as she looked up toward her Big Brother.

Harpy Daughter was a little unnerved as she looked at this man in armor, with his helmet on there was no way to determine what he was thinking, her only hope was to trust in what her friend said.

“Do as you wish.”

Harpy Daughter was a little confused the response, it sounded like the armored man did not care, but her friend took hold of her hand with a large smile and they moved toward the two dire wolves. Harpy Daughter was slightly nervous at the sight of these large wolves but soon smiled as she was able to pet the wolves. Larger Wolf-Girl saw this and smiled, then she and his sister walked forward where she then placed a hand on Goblin Slayer left shoulder.

“Yes?”

“My offer still stands, you are free to join our pack should you desire to. Before you go…my sister and I have one request of you.”

“I can’t promise anything, but what do you need?”

“Would…would you pet our heads one more time?”

The parties dined and gathered the necessary supplies for the journey back, Half-Dragon Mother inviting her friend and the two wolf girls to come and visit them in Frontier Town if given the opportunity. Harpy Daughter was happy as she got to pet the two dire wolves and made sure to thank the armored man for the opportunity. Late in the afternoon, the party departed from Crossroads, Heavy Warrior continued to try and build trust with the werewolf side of Female Knight, even contemplating the idea of entering the cage with her during the transformation. Little did the party know that as they were traveling back home, two new faces had just arrived in their town.

The next morning, two individuals entered the guild for the first time, both were middle-aged men, one was clean shaven wearing a long brimmed hat while the others was shorter and bearded. The men cautiously looked over the guild, searching for a particular individual, but at first glance they could not find him.

“Good morning, may I help you?”

It was a bright cheerful voice that called to them, both men looked forward to see the smiling face of the young girl at the front desk, her light brown hair made up into a braid that rested on her right shoulder. The bearded man smiled at the sight of the pretty girl, in his mind were several dark thoughts, but for the other man his only interest was finding this man. The two approached the desk, their eyes carefully scanning the area.

“Welcome, do you have a quest you’d like to submit?” Guild Girl put forward her usual smiling face, though something about these men bothered her.

“Not exactly, we’re just passing through, but wanted to know if there was a particular adventure that frequented this establishment?” The taller of the two men kept a very neutral face as he looked toward Guild Girl.

“I’ll try to help you the best I can. What is the adventurer’s name?”

“I believe he goes by the title of Goblin Slayer.”

“Oh Goblin Slayer! Yes he is registered here at this establishment, but unfortunately he is out at the moment. I don’t know when he will be due back.” Guild Girl smiled but then frowned when she thought about Goblin Slayer not being here.

The bearded man’s eyes were wide with fear upon hearing that Goblin Slayer was here and he began to look around nervously. The other man narrowed his gaze upon the young woman in front of him and a small smile crossed his face.

“Uh…would you like for me to let Goblin Slayer know you were seeking him out. Did you have a quest specifically for him?” Guild Girl grew rather nervous at the two men’s strange behavior.

“No. Thank you.”

The taller man turned and proceeded to make his way towards the door, the shorter man immediately followed behind. Once they exited the Guild, Guild Girl dropped her smile and genuinely looked concerned, wondering just what these men wanted. The moment she was able, she would inform Goblin Slayer of the two strange men who sought him out.

xxxx

After six days on the road and hours of socializing, Goblin Slayer and his party finally returned back to Frontier Town. Goblin Slayer and the two dire wolves opted to return to the farm, despite it being late out, while Heavy Warrior and his party would camp outside of the town as they had before. The werewolf had calmed down quite a bit, no longer growling at the people in front of her, it even seemed to be whining as it looked over at Heavy Warrior. In the days traveling back, Heavy Warrior had still not had direct interactions with his comrade when she was in this state that was not outside the cage.

“ _I want to believe that I could enter the cage with her, but…I’m still unsure of the beast and what it might do. Tomorrow, I shall try the silver ring and see how well that fares._ ”

The next morning, Goblin Slayer had gone about making his usual rounds, but upon checking the fence had to pause as a sudden pain flared up in his shoulder, the pain was so extreme it forced him to drop to one knee.

“ _Beloved! Are you okay?_ ” Lich Queen quickly rushed to his side to help him stand back up.

“The pain…it is getting worse.”

“ _My curse mark…I am sorry Beloved that I am causing you pain._ ”

Goblin Slayer grunted as he got back to his feet then looked over toward Lich Queen, though hidden behind his helmet, there was a slightly puzzled look on his face. Lich Queen could see this and sighed as she lowered her head.

“ _It is true I wanted revenge against you, but…the time I’ve spent with you and the others, has changed me. I wish there was a way for me to stop your suffering._ ” Lich Queen then looked back toward Goblin Slayer with a light smile on her face. “ _I blame you and the others for making me recall my lost humanity…I don’t seem like much of a Lich now do I?_ ”

“Is that so?” Goblin Slayer continued with his rounds but now his thoughts were not only on the goblins but how much time did he have before he would be consumed by the darkness.

While Goblin Slayer was finishing with his morning duties and having breakfast, the others at the Guild were already busy with their normal business. Heavy Warrior had gone to the Blacksmith to see if the silver ring was complete and to his relief found the shiny piece of jewelry ready.

“Be sure you use it at just the right moment son.” Blacksmith had a big smile on his face as Heavy Warrior nervously tucked the ring into his pouch.

“I tell you it’s not like that. Thank you for your hard work.” Heavy Warrior was quick to depart and present the ring to his partner.

Half-Dragon Mother was back to her old happy self as she greeted the patrons of the tavern, especially the tall lizardman partnered with the high elf ranger and the dwarf shaman. Her daughter was happy to be back, she enjoyed the journey and seeing her friend once again but had grown to love interacting with all the different people here at the guild. Padfoot Waitress then came out with a small tray containing, atop it were two porcelain cups with tea inside of them.

“Hey sweetie, could you take this for the two at the front desk?” Padfoot Waitress carefully handed the tray to the young dragon.

“Sure thing.” Half-Dragon Daughter smiled brightly as he carefully maneuvered through the crowded tavern.

Up toward the front, Guild Girl and Inspector were busy going through the paperwork of various quests and interacting with the adventurers and those who came to submit new quests. In between the people who came in, was Bearded Animal Wrangler who leered at the two cute women at the front desk.

“ _If given the chance I’d use that gas to incapacitate those two and make them my slaves. It’s good enough to knock out the wild beasts we catch, so it should work on humans as well._ ” Bearded Animal Wrangler made his way toward the front desk. “ _I’ll just ask about that Goblin Slayer, gives me an excuse to ogle those two and their well-proportioned bodies._ ”

“Oh good morning, welcome back.” Guild Girl smiled toward the man, but internally was disgusted to see this man again. “ _I can at least tolerate the other man._ ”

“Well hello again, I see there’s now two of you lovely young ladies.” A smirk crossed his face as he looked over both Guild Girl and Inspector. “Has Goblin Slayer returned?”

“His party returned last night, so he should be in a bit.” Guild Girl smiled though wished Goblin Slayer would pop in to save her from this odd man.

“I have your…”

Half-Dragon Daughter rounded the corner with tray in hand, but the smile on her face quickly vanished as she laid eyes upon the bearded man at the front desk. She dropped the tray, the porcelain cups breaking as they hit the floor drawing everyone attention toward her. Animal Wrangler gasped as he eyes widened when he caught of the small girl, the same girl they caught when Goblin Slayer’s party attacked.

“ _If she’s here than those others must be here too. I’ve got to get out of here before the others find me!_ ” Animal Wrangler started to slowly back away while the others were distracted by the girl.

Guild Girl and Inspector quickly rushed toward the young girl’s side, Half-Dragon Daughter trembling with fear at the sight of that man again. In the middle of the confusion, Animal Wrangler quickly rushed out of the guild hall.

“What’s wrong?” Guild Girl placed both hand on her little sister’s shoulders in an attempt to calm her.

“Th…that man, he…he’s one of the men who captured me and hurt mama!” Half-Dragon Daughter stuttered in fear as tears ran down her face, the trauma of her capture flooding her mind.

“What!”

Guild Girl turned to find the man was now gone, she quickly searched the guild hall but could not spot him. She turned back toward her little sister, still seeing the young girl tremble with fear, and embraced her.

“Don’t you worry, I won’t let him come near you.”

Half-Dragon Mother and the others soon came toward the front when they heard the sound of the broken dishes and were distraught to see the young girl so scared. They soon learned about the surviving raider and Lizard Priest grew angry as he exited the guild hall and looked around the immediate area for any signs of this man.

“I don’t see this man, but the moment we find him, he will pay for the harm he has caused you two.” Lizard Priest placed a hand on his wife’s and daughter’s shoulders.

“Thank you.” Half-Dragon Mother smiled as she placed her own hand upon his and squeezed.

“Thank you papa.” Half-Dragon Daughter quickly rushed to hug her father.

“Are these those raiders you mentioned?” Priestess was slightly confused by this turn of events.

“Yes, the ones responsible for hurting Priest’s wife and daughter. What was he even doing here? He must have known we’d been here too.” High Elf Archer frowned at the thought of such a disgusting man entering the guild hall.

“He and the other man came in a few days ago asking about Goblin Slayer.” Guild Girl turned toward the others with a look of concern on her face.

“The other one…you mean there was two of them?” High Elf archer was surprised to hear about that

“Goblin Slayer? What did they want with him?” Half-Demon Thief too was growing nervous as she pondered what they would want Goblin Slayer for.

“We need to let Beardcutter know immediately.”

xxxx

Goblin Slayer calmly walked down the road toward Frontier Town, his acquired sword and mace left behind in his workshop as he carried his more familiar sword, his concern was if were to turn, he would not want to be carrying his more durable weapons.

“ _I have not given up, but I must be prepared._ ”

Goblin Slayer decided that it would be best to finally let his comrades know what he was suffering with, they need be prepared to do what is necessary. Just as he drew closer to the guild he heard a voice call out to him.

“Goblin Slayer!”

Goblin Slayer turned to find Heavy Warrior nearby with a small smile on his face, Goblin Slayer nodded toward the fellow adventurer before going along with the adventurer.

“I finally have it finished.” Heavy Warrior held out the ring in his hand.

“Silver?”

“Yes, I plan to try this tonight to see if it will help her. Would you come tonight?”

“Why not ask your other party members?”

“They’ve been put through much over these past two months, I have told them to stay and rest at the guild. As a fellow Silver and one who helped me, I’d want you to be there to see if all goes well.”

“What about my other party members?”

“Only if it’s successful, then I can share the good news with them.”

“Very well.”

“I appreciate all your assistance; we’ll meet in the same spot after dark.”

As Goblin Slayer and Heavy Warrior concluded their conversation, little did either know of the two individuals off to the side carefully observing them. Elder Animal Tracker and Animal Wrangler watched these two men, for Elder Animal Tracker he remembered the big guy from dealing with the werewolf back in the winter, but for Animal Wrangler there was a look of pure horror upon his face.

“That’s him…Goblin Slayer.” Animal Wrangler trembled at the sight of the armored man, thinking there could not be enough distance between the two of them.

“So that’s Goblin Slayer? That’s the man who killed my brother while laughing you say?” Elder Animal Tracker glared at the man clenching his fists as he imagined this man laughing as he killed his brother.

“Yeah, so…what are we going to do?”

“We need to keep a low profile especially since you’ve been exposed in the guild. You and your damn lustful side have put us in quite a bit of trouble. You have the gas ready?”

“Yes sir.”

“The moment we get him alone, I want him incapacitated.”

“Then you’ll kill him.”

“No. I plan to drop him into the very depths of hell to suffer.”

xxxx

Goblin Slayer’s party was quick to caution him of a survivor of the raider party that had attacked Half-Dragon Mother and Daughter some time ago.

“Are you alright?” Goblin Slayer looked down toward his little sister.

“I’m fine, he didn’t do anything, but…I remembered…”

She found herself trembling once again, but soon felt a heavy hand atop her head and looked up to see her big brother gently patting her head.

“Don’t worry, we are here.”

Half-Dragon Daughter looked up at her brother with wide eyes, then smiled as she nodded her head happy to know that her family was there to look out for her. Given everyone’s attitude at the time, he chose not to mention his curse, there was enough to worry about without telling them that. As dusk quickly approached, Goblin Slayer took his leave and proceeded to make his way out of town to meet with Heavy Warrior. Elder Animal Tracker and Animal Wrangler silently followed Goblin Slayer from the shadows as they waited for the perfect opportunity to strike, they soon noticed he was meeting up with the large adventurer from before and another female adventurer within a cage.

“What’s with that girl in the cage, is that other one a slave trader?” Animal Wrangler was confused at the sight before them.

“No, I recognize both of them. She was the one bitten by the werewolf, I figured they would have killed her. If they have that cage here, then it means she’s still cursed…this may prove to be more enjoyable than I first imagined.”

xxxx

“It’s a beautiful ring.” Female Knight had a slight blush on her face as she looked at the ring upon her left middle finger.

“Do you feel different?”

“I…I don’t know. I still feel the same so far.”

All three then looked off to the side to see the two moons rising in the distance. Female Knight looked toward the moons with wide eyes then calmly gripped the bars of her cage, Heavy Warrior looked on worried that she would change like before. Goblin Slayer was silent as he looked on with neutral eyes at his comrade within the cage. Female Knight’s breathing quickened as he tightened her grip on the cage as she prepared for the change, but nothing happened. She removed her hands from the bars of the cage and looked down to see they were still human and then looked toward Heavy Warrior and Goblin Slayer with a smile on her face.

“I…I didn’t change.”

“The silver worked!” Heavy Warrior could not but cheer as he saw his partner had not transformed.

Female Knight suddenly found herself staring at Heavy Warrior with hungry eyes, her breathing began to quicken once again as she gripped the bars of the cage.

“What…what’s wrong?” Heavy Warrior saw this sudden change and worried all their celebrations were premature.

“My love…the silver has worked.” Female Knight was quick to begin stripping out of her clothing exposing herself as she thrust her body against the bars of the cage. “Come…let us be together. My love…mate with me!”

Heavy Warrior stood there with mouth open as a large blush crossed his face seeing his lover act in this manner. He then looked over toward Goblin Slayer who remained silent during all of this before turning his attention toward Heavy Warrior.

“Is this normal?”

“O, of course not you damn fool! You’ve seen her, she would never act in such a manner.” Heavy Warrior shook his head, doing his best not to stare at his lover’s body in that this state. “Don’t stare at her!”

“Perhaps a side effect of the werewolf bite. The silver kept her from changing but did not completely subdue her bestial side.”

“You think that’s what it is?” Heavy Warrior looked back at Female Knight still embarrassed at her lustful behavior.

“Is this a bad thing?”

“Well no but…what the hell are you asking! This is hardly the behavior of a future paladin!” Heavy Warrior sighed as he looked from Goblin Slayer back to his love and smiled. “ _If alone…this would certainly not be such a bad thing._ ”

Female Knight licked her lips as she stared at Heavy Warrior, when suddenly her ears started to twitch, her ears could pick up the sounds of someone approaching. She took in a deep breath through her nose and could pick up the scents of unknown men nearby.

“Someone else is here.” Female Knight growled as she looked around the area.

The others reached for their weapons and looked around only to see a small glass vial fly forward and shattered against the cage. The moment it was broken, a strange smell enveloped the area around the cage. The three adventurers began to cough as the strange fumes surrounded them, but soon enough all three collapsed as the gas knocked the out. As the gas began to disperse Elder Animal Tracker and Animal Wrangler approached the downed adventurers.

“You pathetic pile of shit.” Elder Animal Tracker gave the unconscious Goblin Slayer a swift kick along his side. “I’m sure you took great pleasure in making my little brother suffer and I am here to return the favor.”

“What shall we do now.” Animal Wrangler turned toward Elder Animal Tracker while still keeping an eye Goblin Slayer. “ _Even unconscious, I still don’t feel safe around him._ ”

“Well we have the cage, load them up…we’re going to make a brief visit to the desert.”

High above in the sky, a large figure observed the actions down below, though it remained unseen through the use of Perception Blocking. The men down below did not know of the massive dragon that watched as they loaded the unconscious individuals into the cage.

“ _Humans…such a disgusting race, they constant try to destroy one another. I should wipe them all out before they come to threaten my kind._ ” The massive dragon spoken in a deep feminine voice as she though back to her former friend who acted as a deity to the humans for a time. “ _I wonder of that is my only destiny as a Chaos Dragon? Perhaps I will find my friend in Crossroads, but first…let me see where these humans are going._ ”

xxxx

The next morning, Cow Girl awoke to find Wolf and Snow roaming around the field, but no sign of Goblin Slayer doing his normal rounds. She was a bit worried, it was not like him to leave Wolf and Snow out and decided to check with her Uncle.

“I haven’t seen him this morning, come to think of it I’m not sure he came home last night.”

“Maybe he accepted a quest yesterday…I’m going to go and check with the Guild.”

Cow Girl and the two dire wolves quickly made their way into town to check in with Guild Girl.

“Goblin Slayer, no he didn’t take on any quests from yesterday. Why…was he not at home today?”

“No, he didn’t come home last night.”

“You all say something about Orcbolg?”

The two girls turned to see the rest of Goblin Slayer’s party and the two Half-Dragons coming down the stairs.

“Wolf! Snow!” Half-Dragon Daughter was quick to rush and pet the two dire wolves who eagerly returned the affection.

“Good Morning, you all haven’t seen Goblin Slayer have you?” Guild Girl had a concerned look on her face.

“Beardcutter isn’t at home?”

“He didn’t come home last night, and I didn’t see him this morning.” Cow Girl now had the same worried expression on her face.

“Wait…those men who were looking for Goblin Slayer, the ones who attacked my little sister, you don’t think…” Half-Demon Thief had a sudden troublesome idea pop into her head.

The others all looked toward Half-Demon Thief with wide eyes at the sudden though of these men having something to do Goblin Slayer’s disappearance. Cow Girl was quickly brought up to speed and the revelation terrified her.

“Surely Goblin Slayer…would not a problem with them, right?” Priestess grew nervous as she clutched her sounding staff.

“Hey, you haven’t seen our party members have you?”

The others turned to find Half-Elf Light Warrior, Scout Boy and Druid Girl coming out of the tavern, but Heavy Warrior and Female Knight were not with them.

“Your party members are missing too?” High Elf Archer grew more concerned by the second.

“What do you mean too? Is Goblin Slayer missing?” Scout Boy was confused by comment.

“Our party members said they would be out trying…trying something to help and that we should rest tonight.” Druid Girl wanted to make sure she kept the fact that Female Knight was a werewolf hidden from Cow Girl and Guild Girl. “We haven’t seen them all morning.”

“Goblin Slayer is missing too.” Priestess was quick to jump in her trembling evident as her sounding staff rattled loudly.

“We need to investigate the spot where they were last.” Lizard Priest tried his best to be rational about the situation.

“But where would that be Scaly?”

“The spot you found us last time, it’s far enough away from town that nobody should have bothered them.” Scout Boy offered the only explanation that made sense to him at the time.

“Right, you all stay here on the off chance they come in and we’re overreacting.” High Elf Archer calmly gave her directions towards Cow Girl, Guild Girl, Half-Dragon Mother and Daughter.

The four women did not like the idea of being left out, but reluctantly agreed as the rest of the adventurers rushed out of the guild hall. It took them a while, but the eventually reached the location of the clearing outside of town. A quick observation showed no signs of the wagon used to move the cage around or the cage itself. The adventurers quickly went about investigating the area, until Wolf and Snow howled to get their attention. The others rushed over to see signs of wheel marks where the wagon would have been as well as the remains of a broken vial along the ground.

“Good job you two.” Dwarf Shaman was quick to give them both a gentle pat before picking up the glass shards.

“What is it?” Priestess hoped this might give them a clue as to the where abouts of Goblin Slayer.

Dwarf Shaman gave the glass shards a few sniffs before scrunching his nose at the lingering odor.

“There’s an odd smell coming from it, this is not one of Beardcutter’s vials.”

“The marks of the wheels lead away from her to the main road, but…I can’t tell where they went from here.” Half-Elf Light Warrior looked left and right along the ground in hopes of finding something that would point him in the right direction.

“Damn it, if they left with the wagon at night, we’ve lost several hours. Where the hell would they have taken them?” High Elf Archer slammed her right fist into her left palm.

“O Earth Mother, please guide and assist us in finding our lost companions…and keep them safe.” Priestess quickly closed her eyes and quietly spoke her prayer hoping the Earth Mother heard her petition.

xxxx

Atop the wagon, Elder Animal Tracker gave the reigns a crack as the horses pushed on down the road. Animal Wrangler remained in the back watching the unconscious adventurers bounce around in the cage.

“ _With every bump we hit, I can clearly see something bouncing on that blonde beauty._ ” A wicked smile crossed his face as he looked at the Female Knight’s form.

“Are they still out?”

“Oh yes they are, that gas is strong enough to knock out griffin, they’re be out for a few hours and when they wake up, they’ll have one hell of a headache.”

“Good, I don’t need them making any noise to draw attention until were further away from the main roads. There’s still too many people around.”

“By the way, why travel to the desert, you plan on leaving them to wander and die of dehydration or starvation?”

“No, you know full well what else is out there in the desert, far away from the laws and protection of the King.”

Animal Wrangler was at first confused, but soon realized what Elder Animal Tracker was implying and suddenly felt bad for Female Knight.

“ _How unfortunate such a lovely specimen will be kill for the enjoyment of others, she’d make a fine slave to service my every need._ ” Animal Wrangler was quick to refocus on the task at hand as he asked his next question. “You don’t mean to sell them to her do you?”

“No, I’ll give them to her for free, I just want him to suffer before he finally dies. Once he and the others are thrown into the Hell Games, then they’ll know what true suffering is like and will be begging for the sweet embrace of death.”

**Author’s Note: I threw in only final cameo in the form of a particular dragon who can conceal herself from others…who just so happened to see everything down below. Next chapter will begin the Hell Games Arc. How low can the levels of human depravity sink as they watch the suffering of others for their own enjoyment? How long can our trio endure this until their comrades come for them…or rather IF they come for them.**


	47. Goblin Slayer Ch.47

“ _Beloved wake up!_ ”

Goblin Slayer grunted as he slowly started to stir, the pain in his head was tolerable, but as he looked around saw Heavy Warrior and Female Knight nearby. He discovered that he, along with Heavy Warrior and Female Knight, were within the cage and they had since moved from the clearing in the woods.

“Where?”

“ _Unknown Beloved, we’ve been traveling through all the night and most of the morning. Once you were unconscious, those two men loaded your bodies into this cage and quickly departed._ ”

Goblin Slayer looked off to the side to see two men off to the side conversing as the rested the horses. Goblin Slayer reached for his weapons but a quick check revealed all his weapons had been removed.

“If you’re looking for your weapons, they’re in the wagon…I feel you won’t be needing them.” Elder Animal Tracker commented in a cold tone.

Goblin Slayer proceeded to move and wake up Heavy Warrior who quickly went to cover up Female Knight nude form while waking her up. Once fully awake, and for Female Knight fully dressed, the three gripped the bars of the cage as they looked toward the two men. Heavy Warrior and Female Knight instantly recognized the thinner man as the man who took hold of the wolf that night in winter.

“You! What the hell do you think you’re doing! Release us immediately!” Heavy Warrior angrily banged his fists against the bars.

“You can shout as much as you want, but it won’t change the fact that you’re not about to be released any time soon.” Elder Animal Tracker turned his attention toward Goblin Slayer. “If you must blame someone for your predicament, then blame him.”

“Goblin Slayer? What does he have to do with this?” Heavy Warrior looked toward his friend with raised eyebrows.

“Do you know these men Goblin Slayer?” Female Knight, trying to keep her body hidden, also had an unsure expression about her face.

Goblin Slayer looked towards the two men, trying to recall if he ever met them, he had gotten better at remembering faces, but could not place them.

“No. I’ve never seen these men before.”

“I’m not surprised, I sure as hell wasn’t going to let you find me after what you did to him!” Animal Wrangler was still afraid of this man, even behind the bars of the cage.

“Him?” Goblin Slayer was confused by the statement.

“My brother.”

Goblin Slayer and the others turned their attention to the taller, slimmer man who was now clenching his fists tightly.

“I’m told that you beat my brother to death…that you laughed as continued to pummel his corpse with your mace.” Elder Animal Tracker turned his gaze towards Goblin Slayer, his eyes ablaze with anger. “The fact that you took pleasure in his death, in MY brother’s death, infuriates me!”

“I do not know who you are speaking of.”

“Don’t act like you don’t know! You killed him and the others, trying to get that damn half-dragon brat back for that slut of a mother!” Animal Wrangler angrily spat as he pointed his stubby finger at Goblin Slayer.

Goblin Slayer narrowed his eyes as he gripped the bars of the cage tightly.

“You were part of the group that attacked the dragon mother and daughter.” Goblin Slayer’s response was cold with a hint of anger in his voice.

“You mean those two that helped us, these men were involved in making them suffer!” Female Knight suddenly found herself growling at these men.

“For you to want to make those two suffer, then it was right for Goblin Slayer to have killed your brother and those others!” Heavy Warrior too was growing angry as he realized these men were part of this group of raiders.

“We were just doing our job! Collecting rare…”

“Shut your damn mouth!” Elder Animal Tracker struck the other man with the back of his fist. “All you need to know is that you are going to pay for killing him.”

“You damn son of a…” Heavy Warrior gritted his teeth as he tightened his grip around the bars.

“How surprising to find you two again, even more surprising that she is alive. I’d have figured that either she’s have killed you or you killed her. I’m guessing that little ring of hers is designed to keep her from changing.” Elder Animal Tracker smiled as he looked over toward the barely clothed Female Knight.

“You filthy scum! Where is the wolf you caught?”

“Oh not to worry, it is still alive…somewhere, not that you’ll be able to find it anytime soon. In fact, where you’re all going, I doubt you’ll be able last more than a few hours. Do try and enjoy the journey, it will be a few days until we reach our final destination…and you all enter hell.”

The massive dragon continued to watch the group unseen, she watched as these two men got back on the wagon and started moving once again. She managed to overhear most of their conversation, especially the part of them mentioning the oddly dressed man in armor had helped rescue a half-dragon mother and her daughter.

“ _I’m sure he had some ulterior motive for saving them, but he did aid fellow dragons nevertheless. Let’s see what’s ahead, ahead of us lies the desert, but where are they taking these people?_ ”

xxxx

“Goblin Slayer’s been abducted!”

Spearman and the rest of the guild patrons were surprised to hear about the disappearance of Goblin Slayer. Over the last two years, he had changed so much, being highly welcomed at the guild, especially since he had become a big brother to Half-Dragon Mother’s daughter. Cow Girl could feel the color drain from her face as she heard this, wondering what he could be going through and what could she do to help.

“Not just Orcbolg, but Heavy Warrior and the Female Knight as well.”

“Are…are you certain they haven’t been…killed?” Guild Girl struggled to get the words out as the unsettling thought went through her mind.

“Don’t say such things!” Cow Girl was quick to shoot Guild Girl a frown as she heard her friend say this.

“It doesn’t look as though they killed them, only abducted them for some reason. If they were part of the group that attacked my little granddaughter and her mother, they’ll be out to get revenge against Beardcutter.”

“I’m…I’m sorry, I never meant for big brother to get in trouble for rescuing me and mama.” Half-Dragon Daughter nervously held her hands expecting to be scolded.

“You have nothing to apologize for my little one, Milord Goblin Slayer and I would gladly save you and your mother all over again.” Lizard Priest was quick to comfort his daughter with a smile.

“But where would they have taken them?” Priestess was equally distraught at the thought of her teacher being tortured by these men.

“There’s no real way to know at the moment, but it’s likely that if it’s the same slave trader group you all dealt with, they’d be going to sell them in one of the towns.” Half-Demon Thief offered her best educated guess.

“A very sound suggestion, but where would we start?” Lizard Priest too worried, the more time they wasted, the less likely they were to find their comrades.

“We’ll split up and head to different towns.”

Everyone turned to find Spearman standing with a confident smile on his face and behind him were other adventurers ready to help as well.

“We can split up into different groups and hit various towns, and hopefully meet back here with Goblin Slayer and the others or a possible lead.” Spearman smiled especially with Witch by his side.

“If we work…together…we’ll find them…much faster.” Witch had an alluring smile on her face as she blew out a stream of smoke.

“Thank you, I feel so helpless right now.” Cow Girl sighed in frustration as she held her head down.

“We’ll find him, don’t you worry.” Priestess took hold of her friend’s hand and gently squeezed it.

“Perhaps we should head for Water Town first, maybe the Sword Maiden might have heard something about these slave traders.” Dwarf Shaman frowned as he stroked his beard, in deep thought about what they could do to quickly get Goblin Slayer back.

“Then that’s where we’ll head first, time to make these bastards pay.” Half-Demon Thief growled as she cracked her knuckles.

xxxx

The days on the road had been long and tiresome, the trio in the cage were forced to relieve themselves in the corner of the cage, given scarps of meat and small cups of water, their captors wanted to make sure they reached the location alive. The setting had changed from the forest to a more desert-like setting. Little to no vegetation, sand and rock as far as the eye could see, no real settlement from what they could see, with the rising heat, Heavy Warrior had since removed his armor. Females Knights armor removed the night she had tried the silver ring in fear that she would transform once again, resting in the wagon along with their weapons. Now in his more common clothing sat beside his lover both far away from the waste in the corner.

“What the hell do they plan on doing, leave us out here to fend for ourselves?” Female Knight uncomfortably shuffled in the cage.

“Not sure, we’ve been traveling for so many days and nights, barely fed anything to keep us weak.” Heavy Warrior grunted as he heard his stomach growl.

“We must be ready to strike the moment they open the cage.”

Female Knight and Heavy Warrior turned toward Goblin Slayer who sat in another corner of the cage opposite of them, still fully clothed in his usual armor. For Goblin Slayer it was to ensure he was prepared to attack and free himself at the earliest moment, and to conceal the curse mark present on the left side of his body. Elder Animal Tracker was smart however, making no attempt to open the cage or getting within reach of their grasp.

It was late in the afternoon, after entering into a canyon, that the three could see what looked like a large campsite made up of several dozen tents of various sizes. Various men and women came to and from, some eating, others drinking, but they all shared the same cruel wicked smile as they observed this wagon coming into the encampment. Around them, they could see what looked like a series of cages lined up along either side of the cliffs. Towards the left side were numerous figures of various race, some covered in flimsy armor or chainmail while others wore torn clothing with their bits of armor off in the corner. To the right, these cages were covered with what looked like blood-stained cloths, various animal-like grunts and growls could be heard coming from thin them.

“Where the hell are we?” Heavy Warrior did not expect an answer to his question as he looked around at the whole scene around them.

The wagon soon came to a stop and the cage with is, the trio inside stood and looked through the cage at the encampment as several men walked up, laughing and talking amongst themselves as they looked over the trio, especially the scantly clad Female Knight. Elder Animal Tracker and Animal Wrangler dismounted the wagon and happily greeted the various men, pointing and talking about the trio in the cage. Heavy Warrior and Female Knight were growing rather mad as these men continued to laugh and talk about them as if they were some kind of animal or trophy. Goblin Slayer silently watched them, constantly studying these men, immediately being reminded of how goblins would cackle at the sight of captured prey. Before any of them could voice their outrage or threaten these men who leered at Female Knight when a female voice called out to them

“My, my…what lovely toys did you bring me today.”

The voice was calm and sweet sounding, but the moment those outside the cage heard it, all went silent. Goblin Slayer and the others looked off to the side to see a thin woman, a body much like that of Female Knight, with long red hair calmly walk toward the front of the cage to observe the trio. She was a bit of an older woman, in her late thirties or early forties, she wore a red militaristic style uniform, black knee-high boots and white formal gloves on her hand, a small pair of glasses present on her face. Her skin was rather pale, much different from those around her who had healthy tans from being in the sun. What struck them the most was the expression she wore on her face, one that was very unsettling even to Heavy Warrior. The woman had a small innocent smile on her face, but behind her glasses they could see dull, cold blue eyes that seemed to be seeing them but at the same time was not.

“Let us see…he looks quite strong, yes a fine specimen of a man.” Her gaze then shifted from Heavy Warrior toward Female Knight. “Such a lovely creature, and look…you have blue eyes like mine…so beautiful.”

The odd woman stretched out her hand toward Female Knight, her dull eyes solely focused on this beautiful creature before her. This of course caused Female Knight to recoil in fear and disgust, while Heavy Warrior gritted his teeth as he grew angrier and angrier.

“Get the hell away from her!”

The others around this woman looked towards her with worried looks, but for this woman she turned her head back towards Heavy Warrior, her small smile having grown wider and her dull pupils seemed to light up as they appeared dilated.

“I see…she is precious to you. I will remember that.”

This woman had withdrawn her hand then finally walked to examine Goblin Slayer, her smiled faded as she looked at this man, a slight frown crossed her face as she tilted her head toward the side.

“This one…it is hard to determine what he is thinking do to his helmet. Such cheap and flimsy looking armor. Why do you wear such a helmet, surely it is too hot for you with that?”

“To keep from being knocked out by a blow to the head. Goblins like to employ that tactic quite often.”

“Goblins?” She gently tapped a gloved finger on her right hand against her cheek. “This one…maybe be problematic.”

“ _You see it don’t you Beloved? That lifeless look in her eyes and smile on her face, she is one who has seen terrible things in her life. Those are the eyes of one who enjoys killing._ ”

The woman then turned back toward Elder Animal Tracker, her small grin once again returned as her dull blue eyes looked at his.

“ _I hate having to deal with her…I was hoping to dump them off to one of her subordinates. She’s completely insane._ ” Elder Animal Tracker smiled as he bowed his head towards her. “A pleasure to see you again.”

“Don’t pretend to be happy to see me…I don’t have patience for liars.” Once again her eyes dilated as her smiled faded into a frown.

“My apologies mistress.” Elder Animal Tracker once again bowed his head, a cold sweat running down his brow.

“How much do you want for these ones?” She still had a frown upon her face as she looked towards the trio in the cage, then back towards Elder Animal Tracker.

“Nothing.” Elder Animal Tracker raised his head, his eyes narrowed. “I want that one in the armor to suffer before he dies. The other two were with him at the time, do with them as you wish. As an added bonus, the girl was bitten by a werewolf…that piece of silver on her hand is keeping her from turning into a blood thirsty monster.”

Many of the men around the cage suddenly looked toward the woman and took a couple steps away from the cage. The odd woman’s face looked shocked to hear this, but soon a wide grin crossed her face as she tilted her head to the right.

“How wonderful! What color is her fur? Does it match her beautiful blonde hair?” This odd woman’s grin changed to a hysterical smile as her hands began to tremble and her eyes dilated.

“I have not seen her transformation myself, I shall leave that as a surprise for you. You will take care of them for me, yes?”

“Oh absolutely! First we must inspect them.”

“Allow us to help with that.” Elder Animal Tracker turned his attention toward Animal Wrangler. “Put them to sleep again.”

Animal Wrangler nodded as he drew out another of the glass vials and motioned for the others to back away. As before he shattered the vials along the floor of the cage, try as they might, the trio could not hold their breath for long and eventually collapsed. Once they were unconscious, the strange woman with the wide hysterical smile, motioned for her men to unload her new toys. Once the trio were removed, Elder Animal Wrangler and Animal Wrangler quickly got under way back towards civilization.

“I don’t understand, you don’t want to see him torn apart at the games tonight?” Animal Wrangler looked toward Elder Animal Tracker with unsure eyes.

“There’s no guarantee he’ll die in the first round, besides…now that he’s in her hands, he’ll be in for a world of pain.” Elder Animal Tracker smiled as the wagon departed from the canyon. “Did you notice how she looked at the knight? She’s taken quite the liking with her…might even make her into her own personal slave.”

“All I know is the sooner we’re away from here the better, that woman scares me.”

“Me too, she is…not quite right in the head that one. We’re heading back to Water Town, see if we can find any other creatures for that Necromancer.”

High above them the dragon had seen enough and decided to head for Crossroads. The sight of the humans down below capturing others and using them for their own pleasure sickened and infuriated the dragon.

“ _Damn humans…I really should wipe them all out. However, they are not my immediate concern, instead I’ll hopefully find my friend in Crossroads, assuming she hasn’t caused any further pranks._ ”

xxxx

“He…he’s missing.” Sword Maiden was at a loss as she heard from the others what had happened to Goblin Slayer.

“Those responsible for attacking my daughter were looking for him and it would seem they took him along with two of our comrades.”

“We have various groups spread out to try and find any leads on these men who were after Goblin Slayer.” Priestess frowned as she tightened her grip around her sounding staff.

“I’ll dispatch my acolytes as well. There more able-bodied people we have, the sooner we’ll find him.”

“We appreciate your assistance, but I know Beardcutter and the others won’t go without a fight. I just wish we had some kind of idea of where they were taken.”

Wolf whined as he looked around the area in search of the armored man, he soon felt someone stroke the top of his head and a quick glance showed him it was Sword Maiden.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find him.”

xxxx

“ _Beloved…Beloved you need to wake up._ ”

As before Goblin Slayer, grunted as he slowly stirred, he once again found himself in a cage, but this cahe was much smaller than the one he had been in before and now he found himself alone. As he stood, he found Heavy Warrior in the cage to the right of him and Female Knight in the cage to the right of that. To his left, he found another male figure, this one was much shorter and had slightly pointed ears, a rhea, though Goblin Slayer only knew that he was not a goblin. He looked around to see other in several cages, many had tired defeated looks on their faces while others looked absolutely traumatized. Before him were some of the slavers talking amongst themselves as they walked toward one of the tents.

“That weird one in the armor, you notice that black mark on his arm and neck.”

“Could be a disease, maybe a curse, who knows and who cares.”

“That woman…man did I enjoy the feel of touching her body.”

“Too bad she’ll die tonight with those other two.”

“I can’t wait to see how long they last.”

Goblin Slayer soon took notice that his armor had been left intact, most likely due to how “cheap” looking it appeared. Heavy Warrior and Female Knight had been dressed in simple leather armor, their much better equipment and weapons kept elsewhere. Goblin Slayer went about awakening Heavy Warrior who in turn work up Female Knight. Goblin Slayer soon noticed a strange leather collar around each of their necks and a simple touch revealed that he too had one, upon further examination he saw the same collar on each person’s neck. Goblin Slayer attempted to remove the collar but the moment he started to pull the collar was surrounded by a green glow and an intense pain forcing him to release his grip and stumble backwards.

“Goblin Slayer! Are you okay?” Heavy Warrior was shocked and distressed to see his friend struggle in pain.

“I…I will manage.”

“You can’t remove the collars.”

The trio turned toward the rhea in the other cage, his tired eyes looked toward Goblin Slayer and he shook his head while pointing at his own collar.

“You’ll end up killing yourself if you try to remove it. She has them enchanted to ensure her toys don’t escape.”

“She…you mean that odd woman?” female Knight could not help but shudder as she remembered that unsettling gaze that woman had when looking at her.

“Yes…the Mistress of the Game. A former slave who now control the game for her own sick enjoyment. You’d do best not to cross her…you basically live as long as she finds joy in toying with you.”

“I have no intention of being her plaything.” Goblin Slayer sighed as he placed a hand upon his collar but did not make any attempt to pull it off.

“ _My apologies Beloved, I am unable to take physical form to prevent them who touching you with their filthy hands._ ”

“You three are new right? That means you’ll be thrown into the Great Maw then.”

“The Great Maw?” Female Knight was slightly worried they would be fed to some giant monstrosity.

“The name for the pit where you will fight. Everyone fights for as long as they can…but no one can last forever. We’re all going to die.” Rhea Slave sighed as he returned to his vacant stare.

“If only we had our armor and weapons…I feel so damn weak at the moment.” Heavy Warrior hissed as he hit his fist against the cage.

“If we use our heads, we will be fine.” Goblin Slayer calmly backed up toward the back of the cage and carefully took in his surroundings.

Once the sun had gone down, a heavy set man chuckled as he walked toward the cage, upon his left hand was a ring with a green gem much like what Beast master had been using. He walked right up the cages for Goblin Slayer, Heavy Warrior and Female Knight; the trio readied themselves to attack the moment the cage was open.

“I wouldn’t think about it.” Slave Handler smirked as he clenched his left fist.

The moment the ring began to glow, their collars were surrounded by the same light and all three collapsed to their hands and knees as an intense pain shot through their bodies. Slave Handler unclenched his fist and the pain dissipated as the three stood up.

“You understand right? You cross me or anyone here and I’ll make you beg for death as I enjoy your suffering. Now then…” Slave Handler reached into his pouch and withdrew various items.

For Female Knight he tossed in a small dagger, for Heavy Warrior he was given a club, and for Goblin Slayer he was given a length of rope.

“It would seem that mistress has taken quite the liking to you, many don’t get bladed weapons until after they’ve won ten fights in a row.” Slave Handler chuckled then sneered as he looked toward Goblin Slayer. “How unfortunate for you, try to use that to the best of your ability.”

“It will do.”

Goblin Slayer’s dispassionate reply caught Slave Handler off guard, but Heavy Warrior and Female Knight smiled knowing that these circumstances would not affect Goblin Slayer.

“Get to the pit you lot!” Slave Handler angrily snapped as he pointed the way for them to go.

Once the cage was open, the three slowly exited and walked toward their left. It felt as though they were going down a gentle slope and soon found the entrance to the Great Maw. It was a large dug out pit, the depth of the pit was twice the size of a man. Lining the top of the pit were dozens of large wooden stakes, some angle inward while others were angled outward. Upon many of the takes were the remains of previous slaves, some fresh kills others nothing more then partial remains of skeletons.

“It really does look at though we’re in the mouth of some monster.” Female Knight grimaced as she looked toward a nearby corpse of a half-elf thrown upon the stakes.

As they walked in, the trio took notice of a large wooden down with metal stake nailed into it secured with ropes and nearby pullies.

“ _They can close and open the pit with that door. Keeps us from making a sudden escape._ ” Heavy Warrior frowned as he noticed the dark red splotches across the metal stakes.

Above them were wooden rows that that resembled the seats one would watch when attending a play, dozens of men and women were seating in the rows who jeered and sneered as the trio entered into the pit. At the center of these rows was a large stone throne, and upon the throne sat the Mistress of the Games, by her side were children in rags serving her wine and fruits. As before, there was small smile on her face as her lifeless eyes took in the three figures in the pit. She stood and took a couple steps forward, the moment she was up the crowd fell silent.

“Welcome…to the Hell Games.”

The crowd roared with delight as the trio could only look around distressed at the situation.

“Tonight…my newest toys shall play for your entertainment.” She turned from left to right to see the look of those who came to her games then looked down at the trio. “Do try not to die too quickly.”

She then returned back to her throne and continued to grin as she crossed her legs to comfortably watch the show below. While this was going on, several of the spectators started taking bets, many were betting on the trio to die, but it was a question of just how long they would last, few did actually think they might win, but did not bet heavily on it.

“No matter what, we fight together.” Heavy Warrior tightened his grip on his club as he looked around at the people above.

“I’ll always stand with you.” Female Knight kept her dagger in her right hand.

“Agreed.” Goblin Slayer held the rope tightly in his right hand while he made a fist with his left hand.

The trio then heard a strange growl coming from the entrance they had just come from, it sounded almost like a large bear, yet had a screeching to it as well. Two men could be seen dragging something with heavy ropes as they struggled to move the massive creature toward the entrance, but soon enough the trio saw something that had the head of a bird with its massive beak and feathers upon most of its body yet was also covered in brown fur as he stalked forward on all fours. The massive creature entered the pit rearing up on its hind legs to tower over the three adventurers. Once inside, the handlers cut the ropes short and ran to lower the door closing the entrance to the pit.

“Hmm…that’s not a goblin.”

“No…an owlbear.” Heavy Warrior was started at the size of the massive creature.

“They want us to kill this beast with just these things?” Female Knight was also worried thinking how they could kill this massive wall of muscles and fat with just a dagger, club and rope.

“Can it be killed like a goblin?”

Heavy Warrior and Female Knight turned toward Goblin Slayer, they themselves caught off guard by his question.

“Y, yes.”

“Good, then we need only look for the right opportunity to attack.”

“That kind of confidence can be quite infectious…and I like that.” Heavy Warrior smiled as he readied himself for the fight.

“Then let us kill this beast.” Female Knight could feel her bestial instincts kick in as she saw the moons above.

“ _Beloved, you must be cautious with this one. It has quite the reach with its massive arms and can hit as hard as an ogre…or goblin champion as you probably forgot about the other one._ ”

“Hmm.”

The owlbear roared as it dropped back down on all fours and charged forward, snapping it massive beak at Heavy warrior who quickly leapt to the side. Female Knight rushed in and stabbed the beast over and over with her dagger along its back, but felt she wasn’t doing enough damage. The owlbear turned its attention toward her and swiped with its massive claws, Goblin Slayer pushed her out of the way and was instead struck by the mighty arm. Goblin Slayer flew across the pit hitting the side of the rock hard enough the a bit of blood flew from his visor.

“Goblin Slayer!” Female Knight had wide eyes as she saw him slump to the floor.

“You damn son of a…” Heavy Warrior rushed forward and struck the beast across its face.

The owlbear screeched as it backed away slightly before roaring at Heavy Warrior and Female Knight. The patrons above cheered at the sight of Goblin Slayer being struck by the owlbear, for Mistress her own smile grew more twisted as she saw the battle unfold down below.

“ _Beloved! You must get back to your feet._ ” Lich Queen struggled to get Goblin Slayer back to his feet. “ _You can’t be so reckless Beloved! Study the situation clearly, and look for your chance to strike._ ”

Goblin Slayer spit the blood from his mouth as he got to his feet, though he struggled to keep himself balanced. He looked forward to see the massive creature swiping at the others at it slowly moved to corner them. With it’s back turned, Goblin Slayer saw his opportunity and pushed past the pain. He rushed forward with rope in hand leapt onto the owlbear’s back and wrapped the rope around the creature’s neck and pulled with all its strength. The owlbear struggled to screech as it moved backed, even standing on its hindlegs in an attempt to shake the human off its back, but Goblin Slayer refused to release his grip.

The owlbear then tried to move its claws to get hold of the human, but Heavy Warrior rushed in and struck and the monster’s joints, making its screech in pain and halt its attempts to dislodge Goblin Slayer from its back. Female Knight charged in plunged her dagger into the creature’s chest over and over. The owlbear struggled against the three attacking and suddenly as it bent its head down to roar at them, Female Knight jammed her dagger upward. The blade entered under the creature’s chin and straight into its brain. The owlbear let out a pitiful final roar as it began to sway, Female Knight and Heavy Warrior quickly backed away once they saw the owlbear began to fall forward. The massive beast hit the ground with a mighty thud, causing Goblin Slayer to roll off to the side.

“Goblin Slayer you okay?” Heavy Warrior quickly rushed to help him back to his feet.

“I’ll live. Is it dead?”

“Yes…we got it.” Female Knight’s breathing was ragged as wiped the sweat from her brow. “Thank you…you saved me.”

“You said we fight together, right?” Goblin Slayer looked toward the two adventurers.

“Damn straight.” Heavy Warrior smiled as he gave Goblin Slayer’s left shoulder a slap.

“And that’s how we’ll get through this too.” Female Knight smiled as she nodded her head toward them.

The trio soon turned their attention to the crowd that observed them, all were silent as they looked at the scene below then turned their attention back toward Mistress of the Game. There was a look of utter shock on her face, her eyes dilated once again as she saw the dead owlbear down below and the three adventurers still standing. She started to slowly her breathing down and little by little her eyes returned to their normal state, and soon her small grin returned to her face.

“Wonderful…simply wonderful.” Mistress stood and began to clap at their performance. “ _My lovely knight has survived. Those two…that one in the armor especially…he did save my knight, but her praise should be directed toward me! I will teach you what it means to defy me!_ ”

The patrons stood and clapped to acknowledge the adventurer’s victory, as they had seen Mistress do, but were all aware that she was not happy with this outcome. Goblin Slayer, Heavy Warrior, and Female Knight took one look at these people around them and knew they were in for the fight for their lives, somehow they would have to find a way to escape from this hell hole, though they were unaware that their comrades were doing all in their power to try to reach them.

**Author’s Note: Welcome to the Hell Games, run by the sadistic Mistress of the Game. I’ll be expanding on her backstory in the coming chapters and yes, some of you probably got that yandere vibe coming off her, all of it directed towards Female Knight. Credit for “The Great Maw” concept of the battle pit was inspired by freddy.lane.1, thanks for the suggestion.**


	48. Goblin Slayer Ch.48

“Alright you slave trash, eat up…this might be your last meal before you die.”

Many of the slaves rushed up the front of the cages, their arms stretched out, greedily reaching for the food. For the three new slaves, they cautiously walked toward the front of their cages and watched as Slave Handler chuckled to himself while tossing the scraps of bread to the slaves. Goblin Slayer and the others were not about to start begging for food like a hungry animal, and as Slave Handler approached their cage, they kept neutral faces and slowly backed away from the front.

“Well now, aren’t we high and mighty. They all start with that kind of mentality, but soon enough they all come to understand what their lives are like here…or rather the will to fight is beaten out of them.”

Slave Handler tossed the bread into the cage, the three picked up the scraps of food and grimaced at the sight before them. The small loaves were covered in mold, some spots green while others were practically black. They looked around to see the others slaves graciously devouring the moldy food as if it were the most delicious thing imaginable.

“ _Just how long have they been here to desire to eat food like this._ ” Female Knight scrunched her nose at the smells that surrounded her. “ _There are certain negatives to being a werewolf…smells are far greater than before, especially the foul ones._ ”

The three adventurers went about tearing off the moldy bits of the bread until they were satisfied that the bread was as good as it was going to get. Even they were not foolish enough to refuse to eat anything as they would need what strength they could muster if they were to survive this hellish environment. A little while later, Slave Handler returned with a small basket filled with some fruits and cheese before placing it within Female Knight’s cage.

“What’s this? You expect me to be grateful that you have given me this?”

“Not from me, your Mistress. I would be thankful that she has taken a liking to you.”

Slave Handler took his leave, while Female Knight cautiously looked down at the basket, not sure if she should actually feel grateful that this insane woman had such an interest in her. She ultimately decided to take the basket, three large red apples and a large chunk of cheese within, and share the food with Heavy Warrior and Goblin Slayer, that way they’d be in better shape the next time they were to be thrown into the Great Maw.

“Thanks.” Heavy Warrior had a small smile on his face before biting into the apple.

“Yes. Thank you.” Goblin Slayer took a bit of the small bit of cheese he was given.

Little did they know that Mistress of the Game had seen all of this and grew rather angry that the object of her desire would share her food with the other two.

“Damn you both to hell! That food was intended for her, how dare you contaminate it with your filth!” Mistress of the Game clenched her fists tightly.

“Mistress?” The young male attendant walked toward her as he found her distressed.

Mistress turned toward the young boy and struck him with the back of her hand knocking him to the ground.

“How dare you speak without my permission.” Once again the crazed look in her eyes was present as she looked down at the slave child.

“M,my apologies mistress!”

“You’ve done it again! It would seem that I must reeducate you.” Mistress walked toward the table within her large tent and took up the whip in her hand.

The child cowered in fear as she returned and raised the whip overhead, his cries echoed throughout the camp as she vented her frustration on this child. After some time, she finally lowered her whip, the young boy bleeding from his wounds lying motionless on the floor, when Slave Handler entered.

“What do you want!” Mistress glared at the man tightening her grip on the handle of the whip.

“My apologies Mistress, I have delivered the basket as you requested, how else shall I serve you?”

Mistress started to calm herself as she calmly walked back to the table and set her whip down. Her crazed eyes turned toward the portly man which immediately made him rather uncomfortable.

“I want those two far away from her! They…their mere presence infuriates me! Do what you wish to them…but I need them fit to fight, that way they’re deaths in the Maw will be all the more enjoyable. Ah yes, the armored one was meant to suffer more than the others if I remember correctly.”

“As you wish Mistress.”

Slave Handler as he bowed his head and exited the tent leaving Mistress of the Game to slowly calm herself. She looked down at her hands and marveled at the blood that had stained them. A smile soon crossed her face before she slid her blood-soaked fingers across her lips, savoring the taste as if it were a fine wine. Calm once again, she turned her attention back to her slave and had a slight frown when she found him dead on the floor.

“Oh dear, it seems that in my rage…I killed him.” Mistress tilted her head to the side as she playfully placed her right finger along the side of her head then smiled. “Oh well, waste not, want not. Guard!”

Within a few seconds, another one of her subordinates entered and bowed his head, immediately talking notice of the dead slave on the ground.

“How may I serve you Mistress?”

“This one is broken. Have the butcher properly tend to him so that my lovely beasts are fed…how cruel it would be for them to have to wait until the slaves enter the Maw.”

“At once Mistress.”

Her subordinate quickly took hold of the boy’s leg and proceeded to drag the corpse away much to the delight of Mistress.

“ _Those two…I must remove them from her lest they contaminate my lovely knight any further._ ”

xxxx

“You two step forward!”

Slave Handler was quick with his snap as he and four other slavers approached Goblin Slayer and Heavy Warrior’s cages. The two men calmly stepped forward, a visible scowl upon Heavy Warrior’s face while Goblin Slayer’s expression was hidden away. Female Knight also approached the entrance to her cage to see what was going to happen.

“Your Mistress…hopes you enjoyed those apples and cheese that you’ve stolen.” Slave Handler raised his hand and clenched his fists as the effect of the slave collar was quick.

Both Goblin Slayer and Heavy Warrior grunted in pain as they were forced to collapse to the floor, still clutching at their collars. The moment they were down, the other slavers rushed in and with clubs ready went about beating the two men much to the horror of Female Knight.

“You bastards! Get away from them!” Female Knight reached out through her cage in a futile attempt to get hold of one of these men.

As a few seconds of this, the slavers dragged out the weakened men before closing up the cages.

“Take them to opposite ends of the camp, you know what to do with them.”

Them slavers were quick to follow their orders, biding them men’s wrists before dragging them away in either direction.

“Damn you all to hell! Why?” Female Knight growled desperately feeling her bestial instincts take over at the treatment of her mate.

“If you wish to blame someone, blame yourself. She gave those delicious items to you and no one else. You want to save them, or rather help prolong their miserable lives for as long as possible, then distance yourself from them and submit to your Mistress.”

“The moment we get a chance, all three of us will exact our vengeance you vile piece of excrement!”

“I’ve said all I have to say, best rest up, you’ll need your strength for the games tonight.”

Slave Handler laughed as he walked away from the cages, leaving the still frustrated Female Knight behind still gripping the bars of her cage.

xxxx

Heavy Warrior grunted as he opened his eyes, having the grimace as they were blinded by the bright light. He struggled to move, but found his arms would not respond, he looked to his left and right and found his arms outstretched and tied to a large piece of wood, though he could not see it, he could feel another piece of wood behind him. What he could see was he had been tied to a T-shaped structure, his legs were free, his feet flat on the ground, only his arms had been bound.

“Wha, what the hell?”

“Hope you enjoy the accommodations.”

Heavy Warrior looked forward to Slave Handler and the others chuckling at the sight of the man bound to the wooden structure.

“Your Mistress does not enjoy you being close to her new object of desire. This is to teach you a lesson about defying her.”

“You scum will die if you so much as her hurt!”

“Save your strength, you’ll need it for tonight’s game.” Slave Handler used his hand to shield his eyes from the bright sun as he looked upward. “Still early in the morning and already it’s so hot. Hope you don’t get thirsty.”

The salvers took their leave, all laughing as Heavy Warrior gritted his teeth, at first trying to tear free from his bonds, but soon calmed himself. He knew full well that if he tired himself out, he be completely exhausted when the heat of the desert finally reached its zenith, all he could do was wait and hope the others were okay.

Elsewhere, near the Great Maw, Goblin Slayer found himself in the same type of situation, tied to the T-shaped structure, only his feet free. He looked forward to see several of the salvers around with wicked smiles upon their faces, within their hands were slings and a surplus of rocks lay around them.

“Your Mistress wishes for us to punish you for stealing food that was not meant for you. You’ll be out here in the sun to cook inside that armor of yours but know that you’ll at least serve a purpose.”

Goblin Slayer said nothing as he looked at these men, his only reaction was to clench his fists tightly as he attempted to break his bonds. His lack of response infuriated the slavers around him who began to calmly pick up the rocks along the ground.

“You see, before it grows too hot for us…our use of a sling has grown rather poor. That being said, we figured that you could lend us your aid…as a target!”

The salvers laughed as they took their time hurling rocks at Goblin Slayer, cheering as they heard the sound of the rocks striking against his armor. Though most of the rocks hit his armor, many managed to hit the areas not covered by armor, he grunted as every rock hit against him. Soon enough the slavers grew bored of their act and went off to leave Goblin Slayer to endure the heat of the day.

“ _Beloved. How…how are you?_ ” Lich Queen placed gently placed her hands and either side of Goblin Slayer’s helmet. “ _Damnit…how frustrating it is to only be able to watch and not to be able to defend you in any way._ ”

Goblin Slayer said nothing as he looked toward Lich Queen, but was not really looking at her but through her towards the various people wondering the camp. As he looked around, studying the people he could hear a dull thumping in his head.

“ _What is it? Is that pain from these attacks?_ ”

“ _No Beloved…_ ” Lich Queen looked toward Goblin Slayer with a slight concern in her eyes. “ _That is your bloodlust…the darkness is stoking your anger and turning it into pure rage._ ”

“Hmm. Then I must calm myself lest I succumb to the darkness within.”

“ _Beloved…be strong. Continue studying these creatures called humans. Learn their patterns and find their weakness, just as if they were goblins._ ”

“I will.”

The hours passed by and for both men, the heat was slowly starting to get to them. Drenched in sweat and eager for something to drink, the two men continued to do their best to try to withstand the effects, each thinking of their opportunity to get back at their captors.

Goblin Slayer soon took notice of Slave Handler walking towards him with a bucket in hand, liquid could be heard sloshing around in it. Slave Handler stopped a few feet away from Goblin Slayer, a cruel smile on his face. Goblin Slayer wondered what this man was thinking, would he place the bucket on the ground and attempt to force Goblin Slayer to beg for a drink or purposely spill it in front of him?

“As I recall there, the guy who “sold” you to us had a specific request. He wanted you to suffer before you died, with this heat I’m pretty sure this is torture enough, but even I am not that cruel. I went around the camp to collect something for you to drink, so drink up!”

Slave Handler got hold of the handle of the bucket and the bottom of it and laughed as he splashed the contents across Goblin Slayer. Goblin Slayer grunted in anger as the odor of the liquid gave away its identity, the liquid in question was urine. Goblin Slayer looked ahead, as his eyes began to glow while clenching his fists, the disgusting liquid dripping off his armor and soaking the leather underneath it.

“Well now, I’m hopeful that quenched your thirst my boy! If you are lucky, I might be able to get them to go ahead and get you another round of drinks before your fight in the pit.”

Once again Slave Handler laughed as he walked away bucket in hand, while Goblin Slayer continued to fume at the given situation.

“ _That filthy pile of shit! When the time comes, he will suffer for what he has done to you Beloved!_ ” Lich Queen herself growled in frustration then turned her attention back toward Goblin Slayer. “ _Beloved…let…let me at least help you with that._ ”

Lich Queen tore off part of her gown and proceeded to wipe off the filthy waste that had splashed against her beloved, she did her best to help him, but had to come to realization that this was all she could do in this form.

“ _I’m so sorry Beloved…I can’t do anything as I am to help you. I can’t undo your bindings…nor get your weapons…I’m completely useless as I am._ ” Lich Queen found herself looking down at her hands with wide eyes.

“No.”

Lich Queen turned toward him with wide eyes as if unsure of what she had heard him say.

“I’m grateful for the knowledge you’ve shared as of recent, as well as your offers to aid me, thank you.”

Lich Queen continued to stare at him then felt something run down her face. A quick wipe of her hand revealed water, no tears. When was the last time she had cried, in fact she was not sure if as a Lich she could cry, and yet here she was crying tears of joy.

“ _You really can say the silliest things in the most inappropriate situations Beloved._ ” Lich Queen has a smile on her face before vanishing from sight. “ _Remember to continue to watch them, endure this, so that when the time is right you and the others can strike._ ”

The rest of the day had come and gone, and with the fall of night started up the Hell Games once again. Goblin Slayer’s spot overlooked the pit and it was here that h was able to watched the events unfold while also watching the various slavers and the Mistress. The first fight had five goblins armed with crude axes and swords face off against a large lumbering biped creature. This creature appeared to be a mix of a Hobgoblin and a beetle, upon its face were two massive mandibles that moved like scissors in front of its mouth which was filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth. Upon its face Goblin Slayer could see two sets of red eyes, the two upon the center were large, roughly the size of a fist and above them were two smaller eyes. This creature was covered in some form of black amor plating, but it appeared to be natural rather than man made.

“Strange…it looks like an insect, but unlike any I’ve seen before…” Goblin Slayer did his best to study the monster and apply what he knew of goblins to this thing that was about to engage the goblins down below.

“ _That beast is an Umber Hulk, Beloved. A massive beast that is normally lurking underground waiting to strike unsuspecting prey._ ”

“Hmm.”

The goblins screeched as they rushed forward in a futile attempt to bring the massive creature down, but the creature was far too bulky to be brought down by these five goblins. With a swipe of its arm, it knocked away two of the goblins which flew forward and collided with the side of the walls. A third goblin was scooped up the Umber Hulk Massive mandibles and screamed as they easily cut through its body. The last two goblins dropped the weapons and flew to the opposite side of the pit and clawed furiously at the sides in a hopeless attempt to escape the Umber Hulk let loose a screeching cry before charging forward to finish off the goblins. The crowd roared with delight as the monster made short work of the goblins and proceeded to devour the remains in a gruesome display.

“It killed the goblins rather quickly. I wonder if I could lure these into goblin nests?”

“ _How would you lure it into a nest and avoid it’s wrath Beloved? These monsters cannot be controlled, look there…_ ”

Goblin Slayer carefully examined the pit and watched as multiple slavers entered through the gate of the pit and used torches to drive the beast back while other lassoed the beast with several ropes before dragging it away.

“ _Because it is almost always underground it is rather weak against fire and bright lights._ ”

“I see.”

With the ring cleared, the next fight had several different slaves, including the rhea that had been in the cell next to Goblin Slayer, enter the pit unarmed. Goblin Slayer could make ten figures; there were humans, half-elves, and rheas, both male and female, but the one thing they all had in common was the look of utter fear across their faces. Mistress stood from her throne and approached the edge of the pit, the small grin upon her face growing wider and wider as she looked down at the people below.

“You will engage in a test to see who can survive the longest…while unarmed.”

Mistress snapped the finger on her left hand and one of her subordinated rushed over with a large hourglass in hand. She took the hour glass and raised it high for everyone to see.

“When the sand has stopped falling, ropes will be lowered down to pull out any survivors.”

The slaves in the pit looked around nervously as the spectators began taking bets on how long each would last and who might make it to the end of the time limit, but no one was going to bet on any of them surviving through the whole ordeal. Just then the slaves heard a strange guttural growl coming from behind them, many turned to see several slavers dragging a massive beast closer to the entrance of the pit, while doing their best to stay as far away from it as possible.

The many of the slaves screamed and backed up toward the stone wall as the monster entered into the Great Maw. The creature walked on all fours, covered in thick reptilian scales, but the biggest distinguishing feature was its giant mouth whish resembled that of a turtle and the large curved scale along the middle of its back. The beast opened it mouth to roar, the jaws opened wide like one would see a snake do, wide enough that it could easily swallow a person, and in its mouth to several rows of teeth. The slavers released their ropes and exited the pit before shutting the gate.

“ _That one there Beloved is a Bulette, although they have been called Land Sharks as well because of that giant scale along their back._ ”

Mistress turned the hourglass over and returned to her throne to comfortably watch the event unfold below. The slaves did their best to try to stay away from the beast, a human male, thinking only of his own self-preservation, got hold of one of the half-elves and threw her towards the creature while he ran towards the stone wall. The crowd cheered as the monster charged forward and gobbled up the screaming woman in a horrific display of gore. The same events occurred repeatedly until only four of the salves were left by the time the sands in the hourglass had stopped falling. Mistress nodded her head and four of her subordinates calmly toward the edge of the pit and lowered ropes down. Once again, the human rushed toward the nearest rope, pushing down another one of the slaves who was ahead of him and got hold of the rope and started to climb. Rhea had been lucky enough to survive as well and rushed to get to another of the free ropes; the third person, a human female, did the same, all three turned to see the fourth survivor being devoured. The Bulette charged toward the edge of the pit looking upward and roaring as its prey started to escape.

“Thank the gods…we survived!” Rhea let out a sigh of relief as they continued to climb.

Soon though the three of them had to stop as along the top of the pit were the large spikes blocking their exit. The crowed cheered and watched as Mistress once again walked toward the edge of the pit to look down at the three survivors.

“Get us out of here!” The human male nervously looked back down to see the creature looking up at the three figures.

“I never said I’d get you out of there, I’d only provide ropes for you to climb. Getting out is your own dilemma.” Mistress then looked toward the slavers holding the ropes and smiled. “Cut the ropes.”

The three survivors looked upward with wide eyes as they felt the ropes begin to give as their captors starting cutting the ropes. Human Male knew they would have to climb out some and moved to get hold of the wooden stakes with each hand, Rhea followed suit and got hold of the stakes grunting as he struggled to hold himself up. Human Female was not so fortunate, she did not have the strength to hold herself up and fell back into the pit below screaming all the way down. Thankfully, she hit the ground head first, cracking her skull and instantly killing her, as the Bullete rushed forward to devour her body.

“Now, let us see what you can do.” Mistress continued to grin as she watched the last two survivors attempt to climb back to the top, through the wooden stakes.

The two survivors did their best to use the stakes as grips for their hands and support for their feet. For Rhea, since he had the smaller body, he could fit through the gaps much easier, but for the Human Male, he struggled to find spots where he could maneuver, often times having the place the tips of his feet along the edge of the spikes with many of the scraping by his chest.

“Just…just have to be careful…you survived this long to mess it…”

His right foot slipped, with gravity pulling him downward directly onto to several of the spikes. Blood ran from his mouth as he looked down at his current state, his final thoughts wondering how this could happen when he endured some much, his body went limp as it dangled from the spikes. Rhea continued his climb, hands and feet full of splinters but soon enough he reached the top of the pit much to the surprise of the crowd.

“I…I did it.” Rhea had a weak smile as he struggled to catch his breath.

“Congratulations.”

Rhea looked up in time to see Mistress give him a swift kick knocking him backwards and landing on several of the spikes upon the top of the pit. The crowd roared with delight, while Rhea could only look up at the sky, the taste of blood in his mouth and overwhelming pain in his body. Goblin Slayer watched all of this and once again clenched his fists as he pulled against his bindings.

“ _H…how could this…happen…I…made it to the top._ ” Rhea started to cry but soon a small smile crossed his face. “ _At…at least I am now…free…_ ”

Rhea stopped his final movements as the slavers once again rushed in to get hold of the wild beast and drag it out of the pit before the start of the next match. Mistress turned her attention toward the man in armor, and through his body language, could figure that he was glaring at her from behind his helmet.

“You and the other two will be next, please do your best to die tonight so that she and I no longer have to look at your repulsive features.”

xxxx

“Are you okay?”

Female Knight rushed to the side of Heavy Warrior to check on her lover the moment she saw him returned to her. Heavy Warrior found his breathing rather labored as she stood by his partner, he still had a great thirst but was relived to find her unharmed.

“I’ll live, they had me tied out to a post in the sun for the whole day. Probably expecting me to beg for something to drink, as if I would give them the satisfaction.” Heavy Warrior gave his partner a small smile, though knew if they were to come by with a ladle of water he happily drink it down.

“What of Goblin Slayer, was he not with you?”

“No he…”

Both soon saw Goblin Slayer being escorted by two slavers before being pushed to the ground as they walked away. Both adventurers rushed to aid their down comrade who grunted as he slowly pushed himself up.

“Goblin Slayer, are you alright?” Female Knight herself grunted as she aided her comrade back to his feet.

“Nothing serious.”

“What did they do to you?” Heavy Warrior could see all the small scuff marks and dents along his comrade’s armor and grimaced at the smell coming off him.

“I was tied to a post near the pit for the day, many of the salvers decided to use me for target practice with their slings.”

“Those bastards!” Heavy Warrior growled as he clenched his fists.

“And the smell?” Female Knight too found herself scrunching her nose at the stench.

“Urine…the lead slaver doused me with it. He said it was something to drink while being tied up.”

Heavy Warrior and Female Knight eyes were wide as they heard the tortures Goblin Slayer had gone through and grew angrier as they heard the chanting of the crowd above the pit. It was then that Female Knight remembered seeing the slavers come and pull out ten random slaves but had been taken away before seeing anyone return from their round in the pit.

“Goblin Slayer, you say they had you overlook the Great Maw? Did you see any of the other fights? Were there…”

“I saw the first two fights. Goblin were killed by a large insect-like beast. Then the others came in, there were no survivors. A large beast ate most of them, those who endured were killed by that woman.”

“Damn that bitch!”

“Before we get overly angry at her, we must survive and endure ourselves.” Heavy Warrior was quick to place a hand on his lover’s shoulder.

The gates to the Great Maw raised and the trio of adventurers moved in to the chanting of the crowd. The three of them looked toward Mistress with disdain in their eyes, which only brought a smile to her face. They soon heard what sounded like hissing coming from behind them, they turned to see five reptilian figures with snake-like faces being pushed into the Great Maw. These figures looked toward the three adventurers, many bearing their large fangs at the while others hissed as their thin, forked tongue quickly protruded before returning within.

“They appear to be like snakes, are they also lizardmen?” Goblin Slayer could only make this speculation based on the interactions with his own party member and his new sister.

“No, Yuan-Ti.” Heavy Warrior clenched his fist as he readied for a fight.

For the three adventurers there was concern that they would have to fight unarmed, the only positive they could take was their opponents were also unarmed.

“You will fight for your lives, do put on a good show. Let my crowd see what true adventurers are capable of when stripped of their weapons!”

On either side of the Yuan-Ti head extended laps of their scaly skin to reveal their massive hoods. Female Knight was slightly startled by this sudden action, but quickly recomposed herself. Goblin Slayer remembered his father explaining how some snakes would do this when they felt threatened as a form of defense to make themselves appear larger.

The trio did their best to keep a rather tight formation while the Yuan-Ti slowly moved the encircle them. Soon enough they attacked hissing and swiping with their claws as the adventurers quickly backed away before attempting to counter punch their opponents. This continued for some time, but Heavy Warrior and Goblin Slayer found themselves growing more exhausted with the constant movements, and their attacks began to grow slower as the Yuan-Ti would rush in and slash at them, knocking them to the ground.

“Hang on, I’ll…”

Before Female Knight could rush to help, one of the Yuan-Ti stood before her hissing as it bared its fangs.

“Foolish human, you will not interfere!”

“If you are a slave as we are, then help us!”

“None of us have the luxury of defying that woman, all we can do is survive for as long as possible. I will not lose any more of my brothers!”

Around the downed adventurers, the other Yuan-Ti split up two and two to finish off the weakened adventures. The two adventurers began to rise but then noticed the Yuan-Ti’s eyes almost appear to glow as they stared at them with unblinking eyes.

“Surrender. You are tired. Rest and through defeat, you shall be free.” The voiced seemed to be coming from all the Yuan-Ti yet the adventurers never saw them once speak.

They continued to hear this chant over and over, it seemed to echo within their mind like a soothing voice and little by little they truly considered the option.

“If…if we surrender. We’ll finally be free.” Heavy Warrior found his eyes lids growing heavy as he prepared to give his life over to his opponents.

“No, fight it!” Female Knight growled as she landed a couple blows against her own opponent, but was unable able to get past him.

Goblin Slayer too started to feel the effects of the Yuan-Ti hypnotic persuasion as he collapsed to one knee. The Yuan-Ti slowly moved in, with their massive fangs they would soon bite him and poison him, securing their victory.

“ _Beloved you must resist!_ ”

Goblin Slayer struggled to stay awake as the voice of the Lich Queen screamed within, he gave his head a quick shake as he did his best to block out the Yuan-Ti.

“ _If you allow these beasts to defeat you here and now, then the goblins will roam unchecked!_ ” Lich Queen once again appeared before Goblin Slayer giving his shoulder a furious shake before growling in frustration herself. “ _Forgive me Beloved._ ”

Lich Queen raised her arm and struck Goblin Slayer across the face with a powerful slap, though no one saw this, the action brought out a hiss of pain from his face and his shoulder.

“ _Now get up and fight! This is not how the man I fell in love with should act!_ ”

Goblin Slayer looked up in time to see the Yuan-Ti rush toward him where tackled the nearest one to the ground. The surprised Yuan-Ti looked up to see Goblin Slayer grab either side of it hood to hold it head in place before smashing his forehead into the creature’s face. The Yuan-Ti fell backwards knocked out fell backwards while Goblin Slayer quickly stood to engage the other Yuan-Ti. With their trance broken, Heavy Warrior awoke from his stupor and followed Goblin Slayer’s lead and engaged the others. He managed to put one of the Yuan-Ti in a head lock and apply pressure as she slowly choked out the creature. Goblin Slayer and Heavy Warrior quickly finished off with a series of quick blows while Female Knight did the same and knocked the Yuan-Ti she had been fighting to the ground.

“This can’t be.”

The lead Yuan-Ti looked up to see the three adventurers now towering over him, his hood collapsed as it was pointless to keep it open as he readied himself to be killed.

“Go on then…finish me as you did my brothers.”

“They are not dead.”

The armored man’s dispassionate reply caught the Yuan-Ti by surprise as he looked past the human to find his brothers groaning as they struggled to get back up.

“Why? This is supposed to be a fight to the death.”

“We’re being forced to fight against our will, and you are a prisoner as we are. We do not kill for the sheer pleasure of it.” Heavy Warrior had scowl upon his face as he looked up toward Mistress of the Game.

“It was a bit of a foolish gamble on your part, we would not have shown you the same leniency.” The Yuan-Ti smiled as he looked back toward the trio of adventurers. “We surrender.”

“Kill them!”

Everyone looked upward to see and hear the crowd angrily call for the adventurers to slay the Yuan-Ti. Mistress herself stood and looked down at the adventurers with disdain, primarily focusing her gaze upon Heavy Warrior and Goblin Slayer.

“You will slaughter them!”

“We are not here to fight for your amusement.” Female Knight was calm in her reply as she scowled at Mistress.

“Get your entertainment somewhere else!” Heavy Warrior placed a firm hand on Female Knight shoulder as he smiled at her.

Mistress eyes once again dilated as she watched this man place a hand on her beautiful knight. She found her hands shaking with sheer rage and her breathing quickened as dark thought ran through her head.

“ _How dare you lay your filthy hands upon her!_ ” Mistress raged finally boiled order as she creamed her next order. “Get these fools out of my sight!”

The crowd’s displeasure was evident through the jeers at the sight below and instantly all eight slaves within the pit collapsed to the ground in agony as their collars were surrounded by green glow. Slave Handler clenched his fist to punish the salves for their insolence as his men rushed into the pit the drag them back to their cages.

“You miserable maggots! How dare you defy me!” Mistress growled as she bit her lip in frustration, biting hard enough to cause blood to run down her chin. “ _That armored man…he recovered and inspired the others to fight back! He will pay dearly for this!_ ”


	49. Chapter 49

“If…if you expect me to beg…you’re sorely mistaken.”

Heavy Warrior growled as he once again found himself tied to the T-shaped post in the heat of the day. For the last three days he and Goblin Slayer were taken out of their cages, beaten by the slavers, and dragged out to opposite ends of the camp for their daily torture. During this time, he and the others really took notice of all the things the slavers would do and where they would go. They watched the slavers, both male and female, take away random slaves to be used for their own enjoyment; they noticed the specific tent in which the slavers would gather their weapons and supplies. Much to Heavy Warrior’s annoyance he watched as one of the slavers struggled to lift his claymore, letting it drop several times, it in fact two of the slavers to even hold the sword but even then they dropped it once again.

As per the Mistress demands, Goblin Slayer’s torture was far more brutal as in addition to the being beaten with clubs and stoned, was now doused with urine and pelted with various bits of animal and human excrement. To the salvers, his silence even in the face of all of this was both aggravating and unnerving, as they soon abandoned him to stew in the hot sun while covered in waste. In his silence, Goblin Slayer’s rage was slowly building, he tightly clenched his fists and slowly pulled at his restraints as he could feel the darkness within calling him to kill all in his way.

“ _Calm yourself Beloved, you shall have your opportunity to slay these wretched creatures._ ”

During these three days, there had been a pause in the fights to allow for the slaves to be cleaned up for the auctions. Goblin Slayer and his colleagues were kept from this privilege as they watched as an assortment of individuals came in to purchase and sell slaves. Humans seeking slave labor or concubines for their sick and twisted pleasure, demons and minions of chaos would come in to see suitable specimens for sacrifice or possibly for consumption. The three adventurers each seethed with anger at the treatment of these poor souls and the joy the salvers and their patrons who took pleasure in the suffering of the slaves.

“ _These slavers, they must pay for these atrocities. By my blade, as a future paladin, I swear they will be held accountable for all they’ve done._ ” Female Knight once again found herself growling as her bestial instinct wished to take over.

Mistress of the Game had been watching the trio of adventurers closely, making sure to only send her gifts to her cherished Knight when the wretched men were away, but was saddened to find her either throw the food out or simply let it sit there to spoil in the heat of the day. Her treatment of the other two had been extreme yet she would find them still strong in spirit and conversing with Female Knight the moment they were returned to their cages.

“These ones…they are quite troublesome.” Mistress mused as she tapped her finger against her chin as she pondered what to do.

Within her tent, she sat upon her makeshift throne with her legs crossed while before her was a nude male slave eagerly licking her boots clean of the dirt and filth that had collected upon them.

“ _Slaves like this one are only good for succumbing to their baser desires, even with everything that is upon my boots he still acts as though it was the most delicious treat before him._ ” Mistress looked down upon this slave with disgust as she noticed how aroused the excuse of a man was as he engaged in this activity. “ _I would have assumed that after all I had put those two through, their spirits would have been broken and yet…_ ”

Mistress then took notice of the man, as he slowly reached with his hands to touch her boots, and quickly gave him a kick across the face. A sneer crossed her face as she saw his blood splash against her boots as she stood to literally and figuratively look down on this wretched man.

“Who gave you permission to touch me with your filthy hands, only your tongue was needed to wipe the excrement that had covered my boots!”

“F, forgive me my mistress. I was just so happy to be of service to you that I could not help myself.”

Mistress could see the far away gaze in his eyes and pitiful smile he had despite the blood running down his chin and sighed in frustration. She had planned on venting her frustration on him as she had with the slave boy earlier, but then looking at him realized he might come to enjoy that.

“You are not meant to derive pleasure from punishment. Guards!”

Slave Handler and two of his subordinates came in and quickly took hold of the slave before turning toward Mistress.

“What shall we do with this one Mistress?”

“This one disgusts me, you are free to do whatever you wish with it…I just don’t want to see it again.”

“At once Mistress.”

“Oh what rapture, I’ll be of service to my Mistress even if I am not here directly.”

The slavers took the wretched man away leaving Mistress to ponder what she would do with the two men who annoyed her, when a smile then crossed her face.

“If this form of torture is not enough to break them, then perhaps having them die in the games one at a time shall weaken their resolve and push my Knight closer towards me. After all…we have so much in common.” Mistress smiled as she looked off toward the right to see the set of shiny armor trimmed with red and the black cape attached to the shoulders.

xxxx

After several days within Water Town, and no direct news of Goblin Slayer or the others, Priestess and the others decided it would be best to return back to Frontier Town, hopefully there they would be able to meet with the others and see if they had any leads. Unknown to them, Sword Maiden’s acolytes had made contact with Hero and her party in a different town and informed them of the sudden abduction of Goblin Slayer. The trio, especially Hero, were shocked and enraged to hear that their colleague had been taken and they themselves went about seeking information that would help them and the rest of his party locate Goblin Slayer.

“Damn it…nothing to help us find Orcbolg.” High Elf Archer hit the bottom of her fist against the wagon as they rode along back to Frontier Town.

“We can’t give up yet Long Ears. We’ll find Beardcutter and the others, but we have to have faith!”

“If only we had some kind of clue about where they could have gone or the whereabouts of those bastards.” Half-Demon Thief sighed in annoyance as she rode along front with Dwarf Shaman then paused as she caught sight of a wagon up ahead off to the side of the road. “There’s a wagon up ahead.”

“I see it, I’ll be sure to avoid it.”

“No wait a moment…that cage behind it…is that?” Half-Demon Thief could not believe what she was seeing.

Dwarf Shaman pulled the wagon to a halt and the other three within the wagon each moved toward the front to look forward at the other wagon with the cage behind it. Careful examination of the wagon and cage did indeed look like what they had been searching for, but at the same time they needed to be cautious.

“If that is the wagon, we’ll need to be careful, especially if they recognize us.” High Elf Archer was already reaching for her bow and arrow.

“They haven’t seen all of us though.” Half-Demon Thief whispered to the others never taking her eyes off the wagon. “Priestess and I will ride forward, you three sneak around the side and see if Goblin Slayer or the others are there.”

“Should we take Wolf with us as well young Demoness?”

“No, if these men are indeed the same ones that took Goblin Slayer, Wolf will recognize their scent.” Half-Demon Thief turned back toward Priestess and noticed the worried look on her face. “Don’t worry, we’ll get him and the others back.”

While Lizard Priest, High Elf Archer and Lizard Priest quickly disembarked from the wagon, the group of adventurers were completely unaware of the two figures who had been following close behind. On horse back through the woods along side them, the pair draped in their black robes and plague masks were quick to observe the group inquiring about Goblin Slayer, which would mean they were looking for the Animal Tracker.

“They’re stopping…a wagon ahead of them. It was wise to follow these adventurers.”

“I see them. We must watch this group carefully, if they find Animal Tracker that may in turn lead them to finding our master. His research must continue uninterrupted. Be prepared to act.”

“Of course.”

xxxx

“We’ve wasted enough time. Water Town is less than a day away, surely your lardass could hold it in for a few more hours.” Elder Animal Tracker took a drag on his wooden pipe before exhaling the smoke.

“I’m sorry, must have been that damn food we got from the slavers.” Animal Wrangler waddled forward while picking up his pants. “Something about it didn’t taste quite right and has upset my stomach quite a bit.”

“I’m not surprised, you know damn well that the meat they have is either rotten or not animal.”

“Not animal?”

“Surely you’re not that stupid, what do you think they do with excess or unwanted slaves?”

“You mean I…”

“Possibly. Could have been human, elf, rhea, hell might have been goblin meat you ate.” Elder Animal Tracker moved around the back the cage to get to the front of the wagon when he noticed the other wagon approaching them. “Be on guard, wagon approaching.”

“What! What do you see?”

“Looks like a couple of women at the front…don’t be getting any funny ideas, we need to get to Water Town. Get up in the driver’s seat, I’ll do the talking.”

Animal Wrangler did as instructed while Elder Animal Tracker waited patiently along the side of the wagon while putting on the friendliest face he could. The wagon soon came to a halt beside them and he tipped his hat toward the two young women atop it.

“Need some help?”

The young woman speaking had dark colored skin and bright yellow eyes, Elder Animal Tracker took her for a dark elf. Given her attire and overall demeanor, he believed her to be a thief or assassin, and quickly caught sight of her guild tag. The other girl was wearing the vestments of the clergy, he took her to be a priestess or some sort of healer of the group.

“ _Just two of them…at least what I’m able to see._ ” Elder Animal Tracker smiled toward the two girls and shook his head. “No worries, my friend just needed to relieve himself.”

“Yes, something I ate didn’t quite agree with me.” Animal Wrangler gave a weak smile as he nodded toward the girls.

The girls carefully took in the sight of the men, the two they were looking at seemed to perfectly match what have been described to them from Guild Girl. Half-Demon Thief carefully glanced toward the cage, she could easily recognize the claw marks made by the werewolf and the design and structure exactly matched up to what they had seen.

“I’m glad to see you guys are okay, I was worried that perhaps you had some trouble and needed our assistance.”

Half-Demon Thief carefully motioned with her left hand, unseen by the two men, to let Priestess know this was the wagon and cage they were looking for.

“That’s quite the cage, you guys hunting or transporting?”

“Just keeping it handy…you never know what you’ll need it for.” Elder Animal Tracker continued to smile but slowly maneuvered his hand towards his back to reach for his knife.

While he was doing this, Animal Wrangler too was reaching for his weapon, keeping his eyes on the girls, completely unaware of the trio of adventurers sneaking up behind him, High Elf Archer readying her arrow to take the shot.

“I’ll bet and I’m guessing that Goblin Slayer and the others had no idea they be taken captive in that thing as well?” Half-Demon Thief dropped her smile as a stern look crossed her face. “If I were you. I’d stop reaching for those weapons…it makes him mad.”

“Make who mad elf?” Elder Animal Tracker took hold of the handle of his blade and readied himself to attack.

“Demon actually, and it make our dire wolf upset.”

There was a sudden growling, and the covering of the wagon was torn apart as the massive dire wolf leapt toward Elder Animal Tracker. Elder Animal Tracker cried out at the beast clamped down on his left forearm and brought him down to the ground. Animal Wrangler reached for his weapon but did not get very far as an arrow hit his left shoulder making him cry out as he toppled out of the driver seat to the ground. With the pair of men down, the other adventurers rushed forward to quickly tie them up so that they could question them. The Faceless Men had seen this and knew they would need to act quickly to prevent any information about their master being said.

“I will deal with them, be sure to inform our master of what had to be done.” One of the Faceless Men drew out a bow and arrow from the side of the horse. “I will ensure that I will tell them nothing. For the Miracle of Life.”

“For the Miracle of Life.” The second Faceless Men turned the horse around and slowly moved away.

“Tell us where Orcbolg is this instant!”

Elder Animal Tracker and Animal Wrangler were tied up and sat before the wagon, blood still running from their wounds. Elder Animal Tracker had a scowl about his face while Animal wrangler nervously looked around.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about and even if I did, this “Orcbolg” would be dead by now.” Elder Animal Tracker spat as he glared at the adventurers.

“It would be in your best interest to let us know what you did with Beardcutter and the others or we’ll let Wolf at you once again.”

As Dwarf Shaman said this Wolf snarled at the two men, drawing ever closer to them.

“Alright, I’ll talk!” Animal Wrangler nervously backed up towards the wagon in a feeble attempt to move away from the dire wolf.

“You shut your damn…” Elder Animal Wrangler was unable to finish as he was struck across the face by Half-Demon Thief’s fist.

“No, you need to shut the hell up!”

“It…we took Goblin Slayer and the others as payback for what he did to our partner. He beat him to a bloody pulp, laughing like a crazed man as he did it!” Animal Wrangler was nervous as he looked at the dire wolf and remembered what he had seen that day.

“Goblin Slayer…laughing?” Priestess was confused what she was hearing.

“He acted like a blood thirsty demon. It was just some stupid animals…why would he go through so much?”

“What did you say?” Lizard Priest stepped forward his anger growing in his voice. “My daughter, the young half-dragon you tortured and traumatized was among those poor creatures you stole! You and your men nearly killed her mother and put that poor girl through such misery!”

“I…I didn’t know, we only took them for the games or to be sold to him. It wasn’t personal!” Animal Wrangler sobbed as he looked toward the adventurers.

“Games? Him? What are you talking about?” High Elf Archer was also confused by what she was hearing.

“The…the Hell Games! If we couldn’t sell them there, we were going to sell them to the Nec…”

Before he could finish, an arrow suddenly entered into his right eye pinning his head to the side of the wagon. Animal Wrangler was dead, much to the surprise of everyone around him, but primarily Elder Animal Tracker who was frantically looking around until he caught sight of the person in the plague mask. The others also turned to see this odd person in a plague mask raise his bow and draw back on the arrow to fire once again.

“NO! I haven’t said any…”

As with Animal Wrangler, the arrow flew forward and pierced the left eye of Elder Animal Tracker, killing him instantly. The five adventures and dire wolf immediately readied themselves to attack as this odd person threw the bow off to the side.

“Damn it!” High Elf Archer growled as she saw both men dead, which meant any information they had on Orcbolg and the other adventurers was now lost.

“What the hell did you do?” Half-Demon Thief tightened her grip on the twin daggers as she readied to attack.

“Silenced those who talk too much. I will not allow my master’s work to be interrupted.” The odd man slowly drew out a crooked dagger from within his robes.

“Who are you? What did you all do with Beardcutter and our colleagues?”

“I am a Faceless Man, that is all you need to know.” He raised his dagger and brought it to the left side of his neck. “For the Miracle of Life!”

“No stop!” Priestess called out but it was too late.

The Faceless Man plunged the blade into the left side of his neck much to the horror of those around him, then, despite gurgling on his own blood, slid the blade to the right completely tearing out his throat. He fell forward, his body spasming from the blood loss then stopped and all was silent along the road.

“Wha…what the hell is going on? Why…why would he do such a thing?” High Elf Archer was at a loss for what had just happened.

“He silenced them and then himself. He’s been trained, molded into being a pawn for this master of his.” Half-Demon Thief walked over toward the body and carefully examined it. “What kind of devotion leads you to willingly slice your own throat?”

“Blind devotion…those too foolish to see they’re being tricked by the one they praise.” Lizard Priest carefully examined the bodies of the two slavers but could find no clues as to the whereabouts of their comrades.

“These men clearly took Beardcutter and yet they were involved in something far more sinister judging by the actions of this one.”

“Just what the hell have we stumbled into?” High Elf Archer was confused by all she had seen in this short amount of time.

“Trouble Long Ears and Beardcutter is still caught up in it.”

Priestess tightly held her sounding staff in her hands, they had finally found some clues as to the where about of her teacher and now that was all gone once again. What’s more, she was also greatly concerned with Goblin Slayer’s actions as told to them by the portly slaver.

“ _Goblin Slayer…Earth Mother, please watch over him and guide us to locate him._ ”

xxxx

Night fell, Heavy Warrior could see many of the slavers heading toward the Great Maw, yet he still found himself bound to the wooden post. He watched as several of the new slaves were taken away, what they would be fighting he was not sure, but had seen several new beasts brought in.

“These…bastards…finding joy in the suffering…of others.”

Heavy Warrior found his breathing quite labored as the painful thirst overtook him, the hours in the hot sun were quite punishing, but he would not beg for water.

“ _If I know the others, they’re also fighting against this as well, so I have to stay strong too._ ” Heavy Warrior soon heard the roar of the crowd erupt from the pit. “ _Guess the games have started, how I wish the woman be thrown into the pit along with that fat slob._ ”

He soon heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and as he turned to his left could see Slave Handler and two other slavers approaching.

“You come…to say goodnight?” Heavy Warrior had a smirk as he chuckled in the face of the Slave Handler.

“Good to see you in such high spirits, you’ll need it for tonight’s fight.” Slave Handler held up his right hand and clenched his fist.

The collar around Heavy Warrior’s neck began to glow and he found it difficult to breathe; struggle as he might, he couldn’t catch his breath and eventually passed out.

“Get him ready for the fight.”

xxxx

Heavy Warrior groaned when he heard a strange noise, it was growing louder and louder, and when he opened his eyes was able to see he was in the arena surrounded by the cheering slavers. He slowly stood, the pain in his neck still evident as he rubbed the spot above his collar as he took in his surroundings. Near the edge of the pit he could see Goblin Slayer still bound to the same type of post he had been only a few moments ago and beside Mistress was Female Knight her wrists bound together.

“What the hell are you…” Heavy Warrior soon realized that his leather armor and flimsy chainmail had been removed, he was only in his pants, boots and gloves. “What the hell is this?”

“I thought for tonight, you’d enjoy a little one on one fight…even I can be fair in my judgement.” Mistress had a small grin on her face as she looked toward Heavy Warrior then turned her attention toward Female Knight. “My dear, let us watch and see how long he can endure.”

“You disgust me.”

Heavy Warrior soon heard the tightening of the ropes and turned to see the gate rising up and in stepped a massive figure. It stood nearly seven feet tall, just a massive mountain of muscle with its green skin, as its yellow eyes glared at the human before it. The gate closed as the massive beast lumbered forward, while the crowd cheered, Goblin Slayer and Female Knight saw this creature and even if it was unarmed knew it was something to be cautious of.

“A Goblin Champion.” Goblin Slayer once again clenched his fists and he struggled to pull against his restraints.

“Shit.” Heavy Warrior clenched his fists and readied to fight the goblin champion.

The massive creature swung its arms wide as Heavy Warrior quickly moved backwards then quickly rushed into to deliver two quick blows to the creature’s midsection. The crowd cheered as the Heavy Warrior rushed in to hit the goblin champion again, but this time was struck by the beast and knocked to the ground. As Heavy Warrior struggled to get back to his feet, the goblin champion got hold of his leg and flung him against the side of the pit. A quick splash of blood stained the wall and Heavy Warrior slumped to the ground spitting blood from his mouth. Female Knight’s eyes were wide as she watched her lover struggle to get back to his feet as the goblin champion marched forward.

“Is…is that all you’ve got…bastard?”

Heavy Warrior grunted as he got to his back to his hands and knees when the goblin champion brought both fists down upon his back. Heavy Warrior groaned as he was slammed back to the ground before being picked up by the goblin champion and once again thrown across the ring.

“Please…enough.” Female Knight deeply worried for the wellbeing of Heavy Warrior turned toward Mistress. “Stop this!”

“Why? What’s in it for me?” Mistress smiled as she looked toward Female Knight and gently stroked the left side of her face.

Female Knight was disgusted by the crazed woman’s actions, but as she looked back toward the pit, the sight below filled her with dread. The goblin champion placed both hands on Heavy Warrior’s neck and easily lifted him off the ground to strangle him. Heavy Warrior was unable to break the goblin’s grip for the creature lunged forward with jaws open wide to eat the human, so he placed both of his hands on either side of the goblin’s head to keep it from moving any closer. Seeing this happen was enough to convince Female Knight to submit to the Mistress when she and the others heard a voice call out.

“He…he has the same weakness as a human. Do what…you must to win.”

The sudden voice came from Goblin Slayer he continued to pull at his restraints, but the more he pulled, the less strength he had. Heavy Warrior heard his friend call out to him and though the situation looked grim he quickly figured a way to turn the tide. He quickly moved his right hand across the goblin champions face and jammed his thumb deep into the goblin champion’s left eye. The goblin champion roared as he released the human to tend to his bleeding eye, the moment it did this, Heavy Warrior moved in to continue his attack. Heavy Warrior grunted as he rushed forward and slammed his fist, at full force, into the goblin’s groin. The goblin champion roared in pain as it collapsed to its knees before it moved its hands to cover itself. Heavy Warrior then took hold of the got hold of the goblin’s left wrist with his left hand and began to pull while pushing against the elbow with his right.

“Come on…break damn you.”

With a final grunt he broke the goblin arm as the monster continued to howl in pain, but Heavy Warrior was far from finished. Heavy Warrior quickly leapt onto the goblin’s back and wrapped her left arm around the creature’s neck then pulled it tight with his right arm. The goblin champion gasped for air as it got back to its feet and struggled to shake the human off its back as Heavy Warrior continued to pull tighter and tighter against the goblin’s throat.

“Kill him!” Female Knight was on her feet cheering for her lover much to the dismay of Mistress.

“Fall you bastard!” Heavy Warrior grunted as he pulled as tight as he could, refusing to let go no matter how much the goblin shook its body.

The goblin champion, tongue hanging from its mouth, gasped violently before it dropped to its knees then fell forward. Despite the heavy thud, Heavy Warrior refused to release his grip but now that the goblin was down and not moving, he would ensure it would not be getting back up. He then gave the creature’s neck a violent twist and only released his grip when he heard the awful crack of the goblin’s vertebrae. He released his grip and rolled off the dead creature, laying on his back looking at the sky before raising his right fist in victory. The crowd around the pit was silent, but suddenly they erupted into a thunderous cheer at the sight of Heavy Warrior coming out victorious. Female Knight was on her feet cheering happily while Goblin Slayer nodded his head in approval.

While all this was going on, Mistress could only look on with wide eyes at the sight of Heavy Warrior coming out victorious. He would have died if not for the armored man’s interference, if not for Goblin Slayer. Once again, her eyes began to dilate as these wretched men refused to follow along with her plans, but she needed to continue to act the part. She stood and approached the pit, looking down at Heavy Warrior who was slowly getting back to his feet, and began to clap her hands as well.

“Magnificent. You are truly worthy of that silver rank indeed.”

“So…what do you…have for me next?” Heavy Warrior spit the blood from his mouth before smirking toward Mistress.

Mistress continued to smile, but those around her could see her tightly clench her fists before slowly unclenching them.

“Take this fine warrior to the tent for healing and get him washed…he’s earned his rest.”

Mistress watched as the slavers took the adventurers away, her eyes lingered on Female Knight delight to see her smile, but internally upset that she was smiling for Heavy Warrior and not her. Her eyes then moved towards Goblin Slayer as the salvers drug the armored man away, but her eyes were filled with nothing but contempt for this man. Mistress returned to her tent and began to pace back and forth, her breathing ragged as she tightly clenched her fists while struggling to keep from angrily yelling out loud.

“ _She was almost willing to submit herself to me, it would have been done to save that other man, but she would have finally been mine and you…you just had to say something! You damn wretched man, I will ensure that you suffer for your insolence!_ ”

“Mistress?”

Mistress of the Game turned her head to angrily glare at the person speaking to her, but then stopped herself when she saw the young slave girl she had recently acquired. This young girl had short black hair and bright blue eyes, eyes similar to Female Knight’s, the whole reason she had bought this girl.

“Ah my little one, my apologies.” Mistress returned to her calm demeanor as she walked toward the young girl.

“I’m sorry for bothering you. I saw that you looked mad, so I brought you some wine.” The young slave girl held up the tray with the wine glass and bottle upon it.

“How lovely, thank you my beautiful angel.” Mistress took the glass in her hand and sipped at the wine, when a sudden thought crossed her mind. “Little one…are you happy here?”

“I…I am happy to serve my mistress.”

“You’re sweet, but you don’t have to lie. Would you like me to free you?”

“I…am I allowed to wish for such a thing?”

“Let me give it some thought but if given the opportunity, how much pain would you be willing to endure?”

“If allowed the opportunity to be free, I’d endure any amount of pain mistress.”

“I see…well off you go, thank you again for the wine it has greatly put me at ease.”

“Yes mistress.”

The young slave girl bowed her head toward Mistress before happily exiting the tent. Unbeknownst to her, Mistress had a wicked smile as she continued to drink her wine.

“ _My apologies little one, but you will need to endure much for me, but your sacrifice might mean the death of that damn Goblin Slayer._ ”

**Author’s Note: In the next coming chapters I plan to give more backstory to Mistress to help explain why she is as twisted as she is. Also, with the next chapter we shall see a return of Goblin Slayer fall back into his rage mode as what he succumbed to when he killed Monster Tamer a while back. Looking back at Mistress portrayal, I’d say she is a mixture of Alicia from _How Not to Summon a Demon Lord_ and Esdeath from _Akame Ga Kill!_ She does have a tragic past, as many of these people do, but it does not excuse her actions towards those around her, know that she will indeed get what is coming to her in the end of the Hell Games Arc.**


	50. Chapter 50

“Can it be done?” Mistress of the Game had a frown on her face as she waited for the reply from one of her subordinates.

Slave Enchanter, the man responsible for the creation of the slave collars and enchanting the ring Slaver Handler used to subjugate the salves, pondered over Mistress’ request.

“A difficult task indeed my mistress, but you do not keep me around to tell you something can’t be done. I shall look through my tome for the proper incantations, it may take a few days, but I will find a way to grant your request.”

“Excellent…that will give me time to put him through more torture before his time in the pit.”

“I know the first one, but what shall I use for the second connection?”

“Hmm…he is called Goblin Slayer, so make the second connection a goblin.” Mistress had a cruel smile on her face as she pictured the scene in her mind.

“My you do have a wicked mind don’t you?”

“You are one of the few who’ve known me long enough to be allowed to say such a thing…but yes I do.”

Mistress of the Game exited the tent with a small smile upon her plans were being set in motion and adding to her good mood was the joyous sight by the Great Maw. For overcoming the goblin champion bare-handed and earning the adulation of the crowd, Heavy Warrior would be given a slight reprieve from his usual torture, but the other one…he would endure twice as much now. Goblin Slayer had been taken from his cage as normal, but after his initial beating, he was stripped of his armor and clothing and once again tied to the post fully exposed to the slavers around him.

“Would you look at this one, pale as a ghost! I’m sure the sun will add some color to your skin, also the fresh air should do something about the smell coming off you.” Slave Handler had a hearty laugh as did the men around him as they looked over Goblin Slayer who remained silent as always. “Got to ask though, what’s up with that black mark on your body?”

Goblin Slayer said nothing as he had a stern look about him while staring back at the slavers. Many of the slavers around him growled with anger and frustration as this slave remained defiant in the face of their abuse.

“Fine, you don’t want to talk, then will make you scream. Mistress needs him in fighting condition for his next fight in the Great Maw so nothing permanent!”

Several of the slavers went to work repeatedly pummeling the naked Goblin Slayer, several of the slavers went about kicking and kneeing him in the stomach, while other kicked at his legs over and over. Goblin Slayer gritted his teeth and grunted with every blow he received, but refused to cry out as his torture was carried out. After several minutes, the tired and exhausted slavers moved back toward Slave Handler, all looking at Goblin Slayer, beaten, bruised, blood running from his mouth yet he continued to stare at them with an expression that hinted towards annoyance rather than anger.

“This…this one is insane.”

“Even after all that…he looks like he ready for more.”

“Enough of this, we’ve done what our Mistress has asked of us. Come on lads, lets gather some of the concubines to reward ourselves for our hard work just now.” Slave Handler smiled externally but internally was unnerved by the sight of this man. “Don’t you worry now, we’ll be back to make sure those bruises stay nice and fresh.”

The men laughed as they walked away from Goblin Slayer who spit the blood from his mouth before taking in a deep breath to calm himself. The act of breathing was painful as it seemed like every muscle in his body was tearing with even the simplest of movements.

“ _You must kill them._ ”

Goblin Slayer paused as he heard the voice call out to him, this one was different from the Lich Queen. This voice sounded deeper, far more demonic and as he began to look around saw a figure standing before him. It was a figure in dirty leather armor, with a sword of strange length hanging from its scabbard and a small round shield attached to his left arm. This figure’s normal armor was completely colored black as twin red eyes blazed within its helmet.

“ _Look at you…pathetic! You allow these fools to beat you and humiliate you! How do you expect to destroy the goblins when you can’t even stop these men?_ ” The armored figure moved forward drawing his sword out of its scabbard as he moved closer. “ _All you have to do is ask and I shall cut your bonds and aid you in slaying these human goblins._ ”

Goblin Slayer looked toward this armored figure who extended his right hand toward him while still holding the sword in his left hand. Before he was able to even answer this strange armored figure, the Lich Queen appeared before him, purposely standing between the two of them. Lich Queen had a scowl about her face as she kept her raised right arm toward the armored figure while holding her left arm back to protect Goblin Slayer.

“ _Begone you foul specter! You will not lay a hand upon my Beloved!_ ”

“ _Why do you stop me? This form is what he to become once his body and soul are consumed by your curse._ ”

“ _Be that as that may, I shall not let you take him from me! Now begone!_ ”

The armored figure chuckled sinisterly before vanishing from sight, leaving behind the Lich Queen and Goblin Slayer.

“Why did you stop him? Is that not to be my fate?” Goblin Slayer was calm in his demeanor as he looked toward Lich Queen.

“ _I…I do not enjoy seeing you suffer. That figure may give you the strength to fight back, but…I will then lose you. I have come to greatly enjoy all the time I’ve spent with you, I’ve even come to tolerate those you associate with…particularly that little girl who calls you “big brother”._ ” Lich Queen lowered her right hand to turn toward Goblin Slayer a distressed look about her face. “ _I am sorry Beloved. I am powerless to stop those men from attacking you. My curse will consume you and…although your soul may join mine, it will not be the same._ ”

“I…I am glad that you are here with me.” Goblin Slayer had a light smile on his face as he looked toward Lich Queen.

“ _Beloved…this will be difficult, but you must do what you can to retain your humanity. If I know your friends, they are searching for you as we speak, we’ll find the right opportunity to slay these vile people and save those others._ ” Lich Queen had a small smile upon her face before vanishing from sight.

Goblin Slayer closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh as he did his best to rest his body after his beating. Mistress watched his beating with much joy as she retreated to her tent to enjoy her wine as it was brought in by her young child slave. Unknown to all of them, the gods watched from above the scene from above, both interested and concerned about certain events.

xxxx

“ _These are indeed unforeseen circumstances._ ” Chaos looked over the board game as the armored figure token, the once grey piece now had patches of black along its body.

“ _I would have figured that you and the other dark gods would take joy in something that might lead disorder within the game._ ” Truth looked toward the piece then back to Chaos.

“ _You know this game piece already…it is one that we can not control. Your traps and plans, the monsters sent by Abundance and my own designs have yet to stop him._ ”

“ _Is not Lich Queen one of your minions?_ ” Illusion took a moment to look away from the board to discuss the game piece with Chaos.

“ _True, but even she could not foresee what her curse would lead to. She would claim his soul, and in place of this Goblin Slayer we get a figure who will randomly slay all in his path…Hero, Demon, this one will slay them all. How do you stop something that does not follow our designs?_ ”

The gods all turned their attention back toward the board, this indeed would be quite the change to their game. There was the chance that this wraith would be slain by the Hero, then again, he might slay the Hero and the next Demon Lord just to satisfy his unquenchable thirst for blood and death. Then there was the Necromancer token as well, this one would also be quite the problem since the God of Wisdom had given this figure such a terrifying secret.

“ _These two tokens…can’t we put them against one another, would they not destroy each other?_ ” Wisdom looked back at the board in hopes that the problem of his creation might be dealt with.

“ _Oh no you don’t!_ ” Chaos and the other dark gods were quick to step in. “ _The Necromancer is an agent of Chaos…one that can be influenced indirectly, he is merely acting on the wisdom you bestowed upon him. For the moment, he is not the immediate problem for he can be manipulated to our will…the other one is the problem._ ”

“ _The beasts he is creating…they are beyond what abundance has created before. If left to his own devices, he might very well become a god as we are._ ”

“ _If he is to be a god of chaos…he could be the God of Resurrection, what better form of chaos than revive tokens that have fallen and turn them toward his will._ ”

The gods continued to converse, granted both pieces were going to problematic in the near future but at the moment, their attention seemed to be focused on Goblin Slayer. A game piece that refused to be controlled was troublesome enough, but to have it slay anything and everything in its path, especially as a Wraith would be disastrous for the game.

“ _Then it is decided…Goblin Slayer must be dealt with first._ ”

The gods turned to see the Supreme God step forward to look at the board game before looking back at his fellow gods and goddesses with a stern expression.

“ _Even as gods, we cannot simply change the course of the token’s destiny directly. It must be the mortals who will act upon our suggestions. I shall send a handout to my loyal followers._ ”

“ _As will I._ ” Earth Mother stepped toward the board game to examine the token of her little one.

“ _So shall it be done._ ”

xxxx

“I apologize my lady, but we have no information on the missing silver-ranked adventure or the individuals who took him away.”

“I see.” Sword Maiden had a frown upon her face as she heard the news from her acolytes. “ _It’s been a couple days since the rest of his party departed from here, they must be more concerned about his disappearance than I am…especially that young priestess._ ”

“We will continue to…”

Before the acolyte could finish, Sword Maiden gasped as she was surrounded by a bright white light. Those around her had to shield their eyes from the light, but in a few short moments the glow around Sword Maiden disappeared as she brought her right hand to her chest.

“My lady?”

“A handout…from the Supreme God.”

“What…what did the Supreme God say?”

“We are to continue are search for Goblin Slayer immediately! We must not stop until he is found!”

Sword Maiden’s instructions carried such force that several of the acolytes were taken aback by her directions, but quickly followed her instructions and once again went about in their search. Sword Maiden herself was confused, though she did not show it externally. As to the meaning behind the handout she received.

“ _Find Goblin Slayer…do what you must to save the world._ ” Sword Maiden pondered what could the Supreme God mean by this handout. “ _What does finding him have to do with saving the world? Why do I feel uneasy about the Supreme Gods’ comment of “do what you must”…we must find him as soon as possible._ ”

xxxx

“Should we not be looking for minions of chaos? Is that not what the king asked of us?” Sage was confused as to why her friend was so desperate to find the silver-ranked adventurer.

“I…I want to find that man. He and his party came to help us, he saved us from the Lich, how can we be considered heroes if we abandon him?” Hero was frustrated that their questioning at the local guild led to no useful information. “ _That man saved my village from goblins, saved and helped me with the Lich…I…I need to find him. I am going to become someone worthy of him._ ”

“True, though odd, he is a capable adventurer and colleague. I wonder who would try to abduct him and for what reason?” Female Swordmaster followed along with her party leader.

“I’m not sure, but feel that it must be something…”

Hero was unable to finish her sentence as she was surrounded by a blinding white light, Sage and Female Swordmaster paused as they saw this, but as quickly as it appeared the light vanished. Hero stood there with a confused look about her face before turning back toward her comrades.

“I…I received a handout…a vision.”

“What did you see?” Female Swordmaster was anxious to know what the Supreme God had instructed them to do.

“We…we are to find Goblin Slayer as quickly as possible.”

“Goblin Slayer? The Supreme God has directed us to find this adventurer?” Sage was confused by the this vision her comrade had received.

“I’m not sure of it myself, but that is what we need to prioritize. Let’s see if we can gather any further information from Sword Maiden.”

“Agreed.”

“Sounds like a logical approach.”

The trio continued on their way to exit the large town and begin their trek toward Water Town. All the while Hero still had a concerned look about her face, one she did not let her comrades see.

“ _Why would he say that last part? Do what you must…to save the world? What does the fate of the world have to do with Goblin Slayer?_ ”

xxxx

“They’re dead?”

Guild Girl, Cow Girl and the others at the guild were shocked to hear from Goblin Slayer’s party how they had found the salvers, but before they could get any information on the whereabouts of Goblin Slayer, Heavy Warrior and Female Knight, the salvers were silenced. As strange as it was, the odd manner in which the assassin was dressed and his quickness in taking his only added to their suspicions.

“Thank you for going to find as much as you could.” Cow Girl had a weak smiled on her face as she looked toward his party.

“We haven’t given up yet. We’re going to find Orcbolg and the others.” High Elf Archer put on a bright smile but internally was worried what was happening to her comrade.

“Damn strange thing, this man in the plague mask, taking his life…and that saying. What did he say again Scaly?” Dwarf Shaman placed his gloved finger against his mouth as he looked toward the mask they retrieved.

“For the Miracle of Life…that is what I believe he said Sir Mage.”

“Wait…what did…you just say?” Witch had a slightly concerned look on her face as she drew closer to examine the plague mask.

“The assassin said “For the Miracle of Life” before cutting his throat, does that mean anything to you?” Dwarf Shaman turned his attention toward Witch with an arched eyebrow.

“This plague mask…it is meant to protect individuals from those inflicted with a dangerous sickness yes?” Priestess looked toward the mask wondering if there anything else to this mask.

“Ordinarily yes…but over our travels…a terrifying rumor…has been spreading. This man…how was he dressed?” 

“A side from the mask, the figure was dressed in black from the hood to his robes and gloves…the only thing that stood out was his bright white mask.” Half-Demon Thief recalled how it was an ordinary human under the mask.

“Did you think of something?” Guild Girl was hopeful Witch or Spearman had some insight that might help them.

“The description…and saying before…he took his life…sounds familiar. These mask…at first glance…look like bird beaks…and with…the black clothing…they would appear…to look like crows.”

“Talking to other adventurers, there had been rumors of these men in plague masks sweeping over battlefields collecting certain dead bodies, the way a crow picks at a corpse.” Spearman had a grim expression on his face as he joined his partner to examine the mask. “These men…it is said they’re collecting the bodies for some kind of ritual…one to resurrect the dead.”

“Resurrect the dead…like the Lich?” Priestess still was uneasy about the quest with the Lich Queen some time ago.

“Not quite like the Lich, these men might be working for a Necromancer.”

“Necromancer…hey dwarf, isn’t that what the fat slaver was trying to say to us before he was killed?”

“Could be Long-Ears…all we got out of him was “Nec…” although he did mention something called the Hell Games.”

“Hell Games?” Half-Dragon Mother was quite surprised to hear that phrase.

“Have you heard of them?” Lizard Priest turned his attention toward his mate.

“Remember when we met with my friend, she told us of terrible rumors of individuals being abducted for some sort of blood sport?”

“Bless that intellect of yours my dear, far greater than mine! If we go back to see her, do you think she or the others in the village might have information that could point us in the direction of this Necromancer or Hell Games?”

“It can’t hurt to go and ask; it will take us a few days to travel there of course.” Half-Dragon Mother had a light smile upon her face as she felt that she might be able to help Goblin Slayer in return for all the help he gave her and her daughter.

“We can be ready to go in an hour!” High Elf Archer had a bright smile as well as they finally had some lead that would point them in the right direction, she then turned toward Cow Girl and Guild Girl and nodded toward them. “We’ll get Orcbolg and the others back!”

Cow Girl and Guild Girl too had a bright smile upon their faces, this little bit of news was enough to lift their spirits, if even for a moment. None of them though could have even guessed what kind of torture Goblin Slayer was going through.

xxxx

“Mistress…I’m scared!”

The small slave girl shook as the Slave Enchanter carved a strange symbol into the flesh of a goblin’s left arm. The goblin cried out in pain, the sight of the creature was enough to scare the girl, but to see it scream in pain was even more terrifying. Once the symbol had been cut, the enchanter turned toward the girl with the same blade drawing closer to her. The slave girl looked toward Mistress with wide watery eyes but found Mistress staring back at her with a light smile.

“I know you are scared precious, but remember what you said, you’d endure any amount of pain to be free. It will hurt, but only for a moment, trust me.”

“I…I…after this, will I be free?”

Mistress was silent for a moment as she looked toward the young girl, but soon her small smile turned into a large grin.

“I promise you…by tonight, you will be free. I only need for you to be brave for today.”

“For you Mistress, I’ll endure the pain.” The slave girl was indeed scared but upon hearing that tonight she would be free made her happy.

Slave Enchanter smiled as he carved the same symbol into the young girl’s right arm, all the while she screamed in pain. After a few seconds the task was done, and the young girl was sent to Mistress’ tent to enjoy some cheese and apples while the goblin was taken away.

“It is done Mistress.” Slave Enchanter smiled as he admired his handiwork.

“Excellent, by the end of tonight…I should be free of one of those horrid men. I am truly in high spirits today.”

Mistress of the Game smiled as she stepped out from the tent to see Slave Handler and his subordinates going about beating the bound Goblin Slayer. For the last two days, Goblin Slayer had not been given any food or water, and left tied to the post naked to burn under the sweltering sun and freeze come night time. Not since his brutal training with Burglar, had Goblin Slayer felt as exhausted and sore as he felt at that moment. Over these last two days, Lich Queen appeared, a concerned look on her face as she looked over his bruised body, but always insight was the figure in black armor looking at him with twin red eyes.

“ _Beloved?_ ”

“Nothing to be concerned with.”

“ _Beloved you can’t hide things from me._ ”

“I’ll manage.”

Lich Queen frowned as she looked toward Goblin Slayer before turning to look at the dark figure that stared at them.

“ _Hard to believe this is the same Lich who wished to wipe out all mortals yet look at you now…you are pathetic. You’ve grown weak in your time connected to him._ ”

“ _Perhaps…but I have enjoyed my time with him._ ”

“ _Even you can’t hold off what is coming. This man’s will acts like a breakwater, trying to holding back the darkness that will consume him…darkness that you put there! Every battle, every wound against him only pushes him closer, no matter what you try, you can’t save him._ ”

“ _Though I am a product of the dark gods, I will not let you have him!_ ”

The figure in the dark chuckled sinisterly before vanishing from sight, allowing Lich Queen to return her attention to the weakened Goblin Slayer. She grew frustrated at her inability to help him in any way, in this form she had no access to her previous magic abilities, all she could do was offer guidance.

“ _Damn this useless form…there must be something I can do._ ”

“Calm yourself.”

Lich Queen turned toward Goblin Slayer, shocked by his comment given his current condition.

“I’ll endure this as I have most things.”

“ _You console me, even as you endure such pain? You are truly an odd one Beloved._ ” Lich Queen had a small smile on her face before she too vanished.

Goblin Slayer closed his eyes as he did his best to focus on how he and the others would eventually escape from this camp assuming his friends were even looking for them, though this brief rest was not meant to last for long. Throughout that day the slavers under the direction of Mistress continued with their attacks, never dealing anything devastating, but the beatings were painful enough. The sun finally began to set and with it, Goblin Slayer was released from his bonds, the moment the slavers did this he fell forward hitting the ground hard.

“What’s the matter boy? You feeling a little weak?” Slave Handler laughed as he gave Goblin Slayer a swift kick to the side. “It’s your turn to fight in the Great Maw tonight. Mistress even has a surprise for you. So get up, we even got your armor clean of the waste…you need to look good when you die!”

Goblin Slayer was dragged to a nearby tent where he was forced to once again don his armor; it took a bit longer than normal but soon he was back to his usual appearance. Goblin Slayer felt unsteady on his feet and had to grab onto a nearby table to keep from toppling over. The slavers laughed at his current condition, but soon Goblin Slayer gave a final grunt as he was back on his feet no longer using the table for support.

“I’m ready.”

“We’ll see about you damn fool!”

Goblin Slayer followed behind the slavers to the Great Maw, with every step and every breath there was pain, but he would not let that stop him. Goblin Slayer entered into the pit, on the opposite side of the arena was a single goblin tied to a wooden post. Instinctively, Goblin Slayer reached for his sword but sighed in frustration as his weapons were gone. He looked up to see not only the slavers around the pit but found both Female Knight and Heavy Warrior and several of the slaves who had fought in the Great Maw and survived. Each was bound with chains around their arms to keep them from resisting the slavers. Mistress sat upon her stone throne with a small smile as she looked down at Goblin Slayer, seated beside her was a young girl, bound at the wrists with a frightened look on her face.

“I’m hoping these last three days won’t hamper your ability to entertain us.”

“ _What could she be planning Beloved? Why have this lone goblin tied to a post before you?_ ”

“You’re challenge for tonight…protect that goblin from harm!” Mistress chuckled as her smile grew wider.

“Protect the goblin?” Goblin Slayer’s gaze moved from Mistress to the goblin then back to her. “I am Goblin Slayer…I slay goblins.”

“Oh I am well aware, but watch this very carefully.” Mistress drew out a small knife from within her boot and moved to the little girl. “This may hurt a little.”

“Mistress?” The young girl had tears in her eyes as she looked toward her Mistress drawing closer with the knife.

Mistress smiled as she jammed the blade into the girl’s right shoulder amidst her cries of pain, but the moment the girls was injured an identical injury appeared over the goblin’s right shoulder as well. Everyone saw this with wide eyes, their gaze changing from the goblin to the little girl then to Mistress.

“You damn monster, what the hell have you done?” Heavy Warrior struggled to break his bonds but it was no use.

“It is quite simple, I’ve had this beautiful little angel of mine linked with that disgusting monster down below. Any damages the goblin receives, then this poor child shall endure them as well.”

“Damn you to hell!” Female Knight too pulled at her bonds growling as her bestial instincts taking over.

“My dear you wound me. All Goblin Slayer has to do is protect that little monster to keep the girl safe.”

Goblin Slayer soon heard the sound of laughter from behind him and turned to see six slavers enter the pit armed with clubs. Though it meant going against his normal practice, Goblin Slayer backed up toward the goblin to keep it safe from the slavers. The crowd above cheered as their fellow slavers spread themselves out all while drawing closer to Goblin Slayer and the bound goblin. One of the slavers rushed forward to attack the goblin, but Goblin Slayer tackled the man to the ground hit him with his right fist. The moment this happened, the other slavers rushed in and struck Goblin Slayer with the clubs knocking him off their comrade.

“You pile of shit. How dare you strike me, filthy slave. Beat him to death!” The slaver spit the blood from his mouth as he went to retrieve his club.

Goblin Slayer struggle to get back to his feet, the constant beating had made sudden movements very painful when he was suddenly struck atop his helmet knocking him back to the ground. The slavers struck at Goblin Slayer over and over, these were not small goblins but full-grown men and seasoned fighters as they brough their full force down upon him. The beating continued for several minutes, blood hit ground as it flew from within his helmet, but soon Goblin Slayer lay motionless. His armor cracked and dented, blood around his body, for his colleagues there was worry that he was truly dead.

“Gob…Goblin Slayer.” Female Knight looked on with wide eyes as his comrade lay there.

“Get up Goblin Slayer!” Heavy Warrior growled as he strained his body in a futile attempt to break his bonds.

“ _Finally, one of them is dead!_ ” Mistress of the Game eyes were wide as a wicked smile crossed her face. “Kill the goblin!”

All eyes then switched from the downed Goblin Slayer to the Mistress.

“Mistress? I…I thought I was to be set free?”

“You will my dear…once the goblin is dead, you’ll be free of everything, even your life.”

The slavers in the pit chuckled to themselves as they slowly approached the captive goblin who was busy screeching in fear, the crowd cheered in a frenzy while the other captives shouted their protests. Goblin Slayer lay there, great pain surged through his body which at least told him that he was still alive.

“ _I…I can’t move…need…to fight…but…_ ”

“ _Look at you…I thought you were stronger than this._ ”

From within his helmet, Goblin Slayer struggled to look around then caught sight of the figure in the dark armor.

“ _You need to give into the darkness if you want to have any chance of winning._ ”

Goblin Slayer struggled to keep himself awake as he felt his consciousness slipping, so weak that he could not hear Lich Queen crying out to him.

“ _If you fall now, then that girl you’re trying to protect will die! You swore to slay all the goblins did you not? If you fall here, who will carry on? Now get back on your feet and embrace the darkness within!_ ”

Goblin Slayer grunted as he suddenly got back to his hands and knees before slowly standing once again much to the surprise of everyone watching. Goblin Slayer threw his head back and let out a scream of pure rage that actually scared the slavers in the pit below. Suddenly everything was calm that is until Goblin Slayer began to chuckle before turning to face the slavers his eyes ablaze within his helmet.

“Why fight a defenseless goblin when I’m still standing?” Goblin Slayer spoke but the dispassionate voice from before was gone, now there was a more demonic voice and had a hint of anger.

“You just don’t know when to quit do you?” One of the slavers rushed forward with club raised.

Goblin Slayer, suddenly with new vigor, dodged the swing of the club and maneuvered behind the slaver and took hold of the salvers head with both hands. He gave it a violent twist, the crack of the vertebrae audible to all, before he threw the corpse to the ground. Three more of the slavers rushed in to avenge their fallen comrade, but Goblin Slayer was ready for this. He used his shield to knock back the club of the first slaver, then chuckled as he slammed his right fist into the man’s groin. As that man screamed, Goblin Slayer then placed both hands into the slavers mouth and pulled in opposite directions, tearing away the bottom jaw of the man. He left the man to collapse to the ground gurgling on his own blood as he charged the next man swing his shield upward, slashing at the man’s throat. The third slaver still shocked by all of this did not react fast enough as Goblin Slayer tackled the man jamming both of his thumbs into the man’s eyes. Goblin Slayer stood as the man thrashed about, screaming as he brought his hands up to the bleeding pools that were his eyes.

“You’re making too much noise.” Goblin Slayer calmly placed his boot over the man’s throat and slowly applied pressure until he crushed the man’s neck.

With four of the slavers dead, the last two nervously watched as Goblin Slayer picked up one of the clubs and slowly walked toward them. Up above, the cheering had stopped as they all watched Goblin Slayer brutally dispatch each of the men. Female Knight and Heavy Warrior had never seen this behavior in him before, but figured it was his rage at the torture he had endured. One of the men rushed swinging his club twice, but missed each time until Goblin Slayer swung his own club and struck the man’s knee cap, breaking the leg. The slaver screamed as he dropped to the ground, but the moment this happened, Goblin Slayer then walked over and struck the other kneecap breaking that leg as well.

“You wait there…I’ll be back to deal with you.”

Goblin Slayer turned his attention to the last slaver who nervously back away from the armored man. The man yelled as he dropped his club and ran toward the gate, screaming for the men to open it and let him out. He was unable to pound against it as there were several spikes in the wooden door, a quick glance back showed his Goblin Slayer was now directly behind him. Goblin Slayer gave him a quick push and the man’s body was impaled on the spikes of the door. The man’s body twitched as he lay there on the spikes, but Goblin Slayer was not done yet as he placed his boot on the man’s body and pushed further, forcing the man’s body deeper onto the spikes.

“Now then, you’re the last one.” Goblin Slayer tightened his grip on the club as he turned his attention back to the crippled man.

“No…please…” The wounded slaver dragged his body in a weak effort to get away from the armored man.

Goblin Slayer calmly walked toward the man before calmly placing hit foot on the man’s back to keep him from moving any further.

“Please…have mercy!”

Goblin Slayer was silent as he looked down at the man, his expression hidden behind the helmet.

“I have none to give.” The response was completely devoid of any emotion.

Goblin Slayer raised his club high and brought it down upon the screaming man’s skull. Goblin Slayer continued to strike the man over and over, long after the man was dead as blood and brain matter splattered against his damaged armor. Goblin Slayer stopped as he looked over the carnage around him, the crowd above was silent until one of the Yuan-Ti shouted something.

“Slayer!”

The cry was triumphant, drawing everyone’s attention to the bound captive. The Yuan-Ti continued to cry the same word over and over, but soon he was joined by the rest of his brothers, and still more of the bound captives chanted along with him.

“Slayer! Slayer! Slayer! Slayer!”

“You damn salve trash be silent!” Slaver Handler snapped at the captives threatening to use the slave collars if they did not be silent.

Down below, Goblin Slayer stalked toward the bound goblin tearing at the rope before throwing the goblin to the ground. He loomed over the goblin with club in hand, his bloodlust still not satisfied as he prepared to kill the small monster. In a flash, he gripped the goblin with his left hand, pinning the goblin to the ground as he tightened his grip on the club.

“Goblin Slayer no!” Heavy Warrior cried out to stop his friend from doing some irreversible.

“You can’t Goblin Slayer, think of the girl!” Female Knight also cried out to stop him.

“ _Kill the goblin! You are Goblin Slayer now kill this little monster, let the dark gods see the bloodshed!_ ”

Goblin Slayer raised his club and brought it crashing down but stopped short of hitting the goblin’s skull. To those around the pit, it would appear that Goblin Slayer had stopped himself, but what they could not see was Lich Queen grabbing Goblin Slayer’s arm with both her hands.

“ _Beloved that’s enough!_ ” Lich Queen struggled to keep Goblin Slayer from striking the creature. “ _If you kill this creature, you’ll kill the poor girl as well. Those who hurt you are dead; you don’t need to do anymore!_ ”

“ _What do you think you’re doing? You are a minion of evil are you not? Didn’t you curse him so that he would be the instrument of your revenge against the mortal race?_ ”

“ _I…no, not like this. I will not allow him to succumb to the darkness, I will save him!_ ” Tears ran down Lich Queen’s face as she finally managed to get Goblin Slayer to drop his weapon.

Before anyone else could say anything, the goblin’s throat suddenly erupted in a small geyser of blood. Goblin Slayer gasped as he backed away from the goblin, he had returned to his senses to know that he had not injured the goblin, so what caused it to die so suddenly. Everyone else saw this, but knew Goblin Slayer had not harmed the goblin, they instead turned toward Mistress of the Game to see her stained with blood. Mistress of the Game had a small frown on her face as she finished slashing the poor girl’s throat, grunting as the slave girl’s blood splashed against her face and clothing.

“Mis…tress?”

The slave girl’s eye were wide with disbelief before she fell forward with her blood spattering around the throne, all the while Mistress had a cold expression on her face.

“What a damn nuisance, you dirtied my glasses.” Mistress was calm but annoyed as she took a white cloth from her pocket to wipe the blood from her glasses.

“You damn monster!” Heavy Warrior’s rage was a boiling point as he tried to stand and charge at the crazed woman.

The other slaves were also trying to fight back, but as they were bound could do little as the slavers quickly subdued them.

“Get these slaves back to their cages.”

“At once Mistress.” Slave Handler quickly nodded his head towards his Mistress then turned her attention back to his subordinates. “Get this trash back in the cages right now!”

Mistress calmly walked over the corpse of the small girl as she looked down at Goblin Slayer who returned the gaze with his red eyes.

“If you must blame someone for that poor girl, blame yourself. You only needed to die, and because of your refusal to that simple task, she had to suffer.” Mistress annoyed by this man kept a neutral face as she looked down at this man.

Goblin Slayer clenched his fists as she stared at the woman before he was forced to drop to his knees by Slave Handler’s ring affecting his collar. Goblin Slayer and the other slaves were all thrown into their cages, while the slavers all discussed everything that had transpired at the game this night. Mistress had returned to her own tent to drink some wine to calm herself, but soon threw her glass against the table watching as it shattered.

“How dare you defy me! You worthless slaves are beneath me! I’ll make sure everyone of one pay for this humiliation!”


	51. Chapter 51

“ _Little one, hear me carefully. You must find your teacher…you and the others must save him from the darkness within. I fear if something is not done soon, then a terrible may befall us all. Heed my words little one, I shall guide you when the time is right…this time I will not abandon you._ ”

Priestess awoke from her trance as the bright surrounding her dissipated within the wagon. The rest of her party were surprised by the sudden action and waited with anticipation to hear from her.

“A handout from Earth Mother.”

“What did she say?” Half-Demon had never seen something like this before and was curious to know what one of the gods had said to her follower.

“She said we have to find Goblin Slayer and save him from the darkness within.”

“Save Orcbolg for the darkness within…what does that mean?”

“I…I’m not sure, but even Earth Mother wishes for us to find him.”

“If he has been taken to these Hell Games as the slavers mentioned, then it is certain possibility that he and the others are having to endure torture beyond belief.” Half-Dragon Mother had a frown upon her face as she said this.

“Big Brother…” Half-Dragon Daughter frowned, still thinking she was in some way responsible for what had happened.

The young girl soon felt a heavy hand upon her shoulder and looked up to see the smiling face of her papa.

“You have nothing to feel bad about. As I said before, Milord Goblin Slayer, myself and the rest of us would gladly go back to save you both again.”

“Not to mention those three are seasoned adventurers, they won’t let some slavers beat them.” Dwarf Shaman smirked to show confidence, but internally was also worried.

“Knowing Orcbolg, given how he reacted after that attack from the Goblin Champion and Ogre, the more harm you try to inflict against him, the angrier he gets.”

“Angrier he gets…” Priestess thought about this and immediately went back to Earth Mother’s cautionary message. “ _Could that be what Earth Mother was talking about? Could his torture be warping his mind or personality? Also what did she mean about not abandoning me this time? She’s never abandoned me…has she?_ ”

“We’ll be there in a few short days, and hopefully we’ll get all the information we need.” Half-Dragon Mother offered what little bit of hope she could upon seeing the saddened face of Priestess.

“Just hold Orcbolg, we’ll get you and the others back.” High Elf-Archer looked up at the sky to see the setting sun.

Over the next few days, things had changed quite a bit at the Hell Games, things that the slavers and Mistress did not approve of. The matches had continued as well as the torture of Heavy Warrior and Goblin Slayer, but the other slaves seemed have gotten their courage back as they were now working together in the Great Maw and refusing to kill one another.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? You’re supposed to be able to control the slaves yet I’m seeing more insubordination!” Mistress snapped as eyes dilated while slapping Slave Handler across the face.

“I’m…I’m sorry Mistress! The slaves are more defiant since Goblin Slayer’s victory. I’ve threatened them with the slave collars, choking them out to unconsciousness yet they aren’t showing signs of fear like they did before.”

“That damn man…no those damn men! Who the hell do they think they are?” Mistress growled angrily as she exited her tent to look across the Great Maw to watch the captive being beaten.

As per her instructions, every day Goblin Slayer was taken out for his daily beatings, but after the recent gruesome death of their comrades, many were reluctant to attack Goblin Slayer. Slayer, as he came to be called by the others, and his two comrades were treated as conquering heroes by the others. Everyday, when Heavy Warrior and Goblin Slayer were returned to their cages, the other slaves would cheer for them. The slaves themselves were also acting more intelligently as they did better against the monsters they were forced to battle. The only one Mistress had not done anything to was her beloved Female Knight, she had done all she could to make the woman’s stay as comfortable as possible, and yet…

“She still resists me.”

“Mistress?”

“Perhaps it is time to try a new tactic.” Mistress pondered as an idea began to formulate within her twisted mind. “I think a bath is in order.”

“A bath Mistress?”

“See that the porcelain bathtub is brought in here along with coals underneath…after all this time, I imagine she’d like to take a hot relaxing bath.”

“Who would, Mistress?”

“My beloved knight.” Mistress chuckled to herself as her gaze moved from Goblin Slayer to the slave cages.

xxxx

It was a few hours later that Slave Handler and two of his subordinates came for Female Knight. Female Knight had a scowl upon her face as she followed behind the slavers being led to the to a large tent, inside Female Knight could see tables with various types of food, other had some documents and a couple weapons. Towards the far left she could see several rugs thrown down near small wooden throne, but near it was something that really drew her attention, a large porcelain tub supported over several blocks of wood and beneath it were heated coals.

“A bath?” Female Knight looked at it tub curiously wondering why it was here.

“I figured that you would enjoy a nice hot bath.”

Female Knight’s attention was drawn toward her right when she watched Mistress walk in through the other side of the tent. A small smile present on her face as she casually walked over toward her throne and calmly took a seat. With a wave of her hand, the slavers bowed toward her before exiting the tent, leaving the two women alone.

“Feel free to use the bath, I’m sure that you’d like to wash away all that dirt that collects around here.”

“I’d rather remain dirty and carry my stink with pride.”

“Oh come now, you are a lady after all, and this has been a trying event for you I’m sure, so please…accept my hospitality.”

“Like the hospitality that you extended that poor girl?”

“I truly regret that, I had only wanted that armored man to die, so I vented my frustration when he defied me. Please accept this simple act as a form of apology, I have already ordered your two comrades back to their cages, I shall not have them tortured any further.”

Female Knight looked out from the tent and did indeed find that Goblin Slayer was longer tied to the post being tortured as he had been before. She wanted to storm out of the tent, but a look at the tub did look quite inviting and with her heightened senses, she truly did not appreciate the stink coming from her body.

“I accept your offer…thank you.” The final part was very difficult for her to say.

Female Knight moved to reach for her boots, but then realized that Mistress was there upon her throne watching with eyes that were akin to a predator stalking its prey.

“Is there…somewhere I can undress?”

“I don’t see any problem with you changing here.” The smile upon Mistress face would be enough to make anyone shiver.

Female Knight sighed as she turned her back toward Mistress and proceeded to remove her flimsy armor and clothing all the while feeling uncomfortable with Mistress present. Mistress watched the figure before her, marveling at her blonde hair, light colored skin and lovely shape, a smile crossed her face as she licked her lips. Despite Mistress being there, Female Knight calmly stepped into the tub immediately feeling all the stress and tension melt away with the heat of the water. She sat in the tub, for a few moments a smile crossed her face as the hot water washed over her, then she went about using the cloth to wipe her body down, still keeping her back to Mistress.

“Would you care for some food or drink?” Mistress stood as she walked toward the nearby table and began to remove her gloves and glasses.

“No…I’m fine.” Female Knight had a slight frown as she though about Mistress watching her so she let her eyes wander and then caught sight a nearby suit of armor.

A dull silver shine present on it, certain areas of the armor were trimmed with red and a black, flowing cape attached to the shoulders. Mistress was in the process of unbuttoning her military uniform when she saw Female Knight looking toward the armor and smiled.

“Yes, that’s mine. Before I became the Mistress of the Game…I was a slave like you.” Mistress finished removing her vest and clothing before slowly walking toward the tub.

“You were a knight? Wait, did you say you were also a slave he…”

Female Knight found she was unable to finish her question as she heard someone else enter the tub with her and before she could turn around felt someone press themselves up against her.

“ _Her…her breasts are pressed against my back!_ ” Female Knight had a slight blush on her face as the sudden sensation was rather uncomfortable for her.

“Yes…I was a slave here. Allow me to aid in washing you, I may be Mistress of the Game, but I am but a mere servant to you.”

Mistress calmly held out Female Knight’s left arm using her own left hand while taking a cloth to wipe it down with her right hand. Female Knight wished to get out of the tub that instant but steeled herself to focus on the armor rather than the woman pressing her body against hers.

“What happened?”

“Twenty years ago…I was a knight like you, protecting the kingdom along with my comrades from demons and others to the best of my ability. It was all for my queen.” The smile upon Mistress face turned to a frown as she thought about this while continuing to wash Female Knight.

“Your queen?”

“Yes, this was long before the group of Heroes defeated the Demon Lord. Our party was dispatched to deal with a group of demons but were ambushed. Most of my party were killed and devoured by the demons, the rest of us were sold to the Hell Games as slaves.” Mistress sighed as she reached for a nearby brush to gently comb out Knight’s hair. “When we were sold…there were six of us. I was kept as a trophy to service my master’s every need, while the others were forced into fighting.”

“I’m…I’m sorry.” Female Knight frowned, keeping her eyes on the armor though she did feel a bit of sympathy for Mistress.

“They fought as long as they could, but after two months…I was the last one left. I kept telling myself, my queen would find us, surely she would not abandon us, but after a year of being defiled by that repulsive man, I realized that I would have to save myself.”

“How did you kill him?”

“How?” Mistress paused in the middle of brushing the Knight’s hair and soon smiled. “That night, when I was forced to service him…he did not expect me to use my teeth.”

Female Knight paused for a moment as she thought about what Mistress was saying then gasped when the sudden realization hit her.

“My did he scream.” Mistress had a wicked smile on her face as she remembered the fat man screaming as he held himself while bleeding out. “Like so many before him, he underestimated me and lost something precious to him. I on the other hand had gain my freedom and power. That night, I became master of this salve encampment, that night…I became Mistress of the Game!”

“What about your duty to your queen?”

“After I gained my freedom, I did travel back to discover that my Queen did not even bother to look for us. She figured that we had all been wiped out, not a single search party had been dispatched to find us.”

“What did you do then?” Female Knight grew more nervous and uncomfortable as the conversation continued.

“I hired a group of mercenaries to capture her and bring her to me. I had her thrown into the Great Maw with a group of ten goblins…the sight was quite enjoyable as she cried and screamed the entire night.” Mistress smiled as she thought about the scene in her mind and finished cleaning the Knight’s hair and moved to clean the Knight’s back. “Now my dear, my turn for questions? That large man, not Goblin Slayer but the other, he is your man is he not?”

“Y…yes.” Female Knight was worried what might happen as she finished answering the question.

“And he does know about your werewolf curse?”

“Yes, he does…he had been helping me try to find a cure or the werewolf who had bitten me.”

“An admirable man and does he trust the beast within you?”

“What do you mean?”

“A person who can control their werewolf curse would be an invaluable asset, very good for battle, but does he truly feel comfortable around you in your wolf form?” Mistress had a small smile as she asked her questions and watched Female Knight’s body tense.

“I…I don’t know, I would lock myself in a cage to keep from harming him or the others.” Female Knight was unaware that she was playing into the Mistress’ hands.

“He didn’t enter the cage with you? Do you think he is afraid of you in that form? I though you told me he had trust you?”

“I…no, he does trust me…he…he did help me all this time…although he has been very cautious when I was in my wolf form.”

“I don’t know my dear, were it me…I would have gladly allowed myself to be in the cage with you.”

Mistress suddenly wrapped her arms around Female Knight’s body, cupping the young woman’s breasts in her hands.

“Wha….what are you doing? Release me.” Female Knight tried to sound intimidating, but her voice came out weak as she was still surprised by this sudden action.

“If you submit yourself to me, I would gladly be your servant. I would cater to your every wish…my queen.” Mistress closed her eyes as a smile crossed her face while taking in Female Knight’s scent before gently kissing her shoulder.

Female Knight found the strength to remove Mistress’s hands from her breasts and gave the crazed woman a quick shove as she quickly got out of the tub, water splashing around. Mistress drenched in water looked toward Female Knight who quickly placed on her clothing to cover her exposed body then held her armor in her arms.

“That bath has gotten rather uncomfortable, so I’ll prefer to go back with the slaves! At least I can feel clean there!”

“You…you’re rejecting me?”

“I am. Though I pity you for that torture you had to endure, I will not be the plaything of some deranged madwoman.” Female Knight then exited the tent and looked for Slave Handler. “You there, fat man! Take me back to my cage!”

Slave Handler angrily escorted Female Knight back to her cage, completely unaware of what had transpired in tent. Mistress stood there in the tub, a look of shock on her face as her eyes dilated once again…almost appeared to be violently vibrating. She gritted her teeth as she hugged her arms, digging her nails into her arms so deep the blood began to run.

“ _How dare you refuse me! My beautiful knight has rejected me for that man! You will suffer for this my dear!_ ”

Mistress soon began to calm herself as she exited the tub and redressed in her uniform while she contemplated what her next actions would be. Once she was dressed, she summoned for Slave Handler, a few moments later the overweight man entered the tent.

“Yes my Mistress, I have already locked that woman away, how else may I serve you?”

“That woman, she had been bitten by a werewolf…I may be able to use that to my advantage.”

“Mistress?”

“My new toy, I grow bored with her, so I shall hand her off to you and the others. Do what you wish with her, but you are not allowed to violate her…perhaps after she has learned her lesson, she may come to her senses. How long until the next “blood moon”?”

“It should be roughly a week Mistress, though I am not anywhere near as knowledge able as Enchanter.”

“Then double check with him, but I have a special fight in mind when the next “blood moon” is out. When the beast’s bloodlust is at its highest and she does not have her precious ring to stop her transformation. It will be a night to truly remember.”

xxxx

“Goblin Slayer.”

Goblin Slayer was silent in the cage as he sat along the back with his head hanging downward.

“ _It felt good to kill those men didn’t it? The blood staining your armor, their screams as they begged for mercy, the feeling as your club crushed their bones, all of it was like music to your ears. You hear them chant you name…Slayer! You’re a hero to these men and women! Give in to the darkness and be the hero you were always meant to be!_ ”

“ _Beloved don’t listen! Focus on your eventual escape…those waiting for your return._ ”

“Goblin Slayer!”

The voice snapped Goblin Slayer out of his slumber as he looked over toward his right and saw Heavy Warrior looking in his direction.

“Yes?”

“You okay?”

“Nothing that will impair my fighting.”

“I’m not talking physically, what happened back there in the pit?”

“Goblin Slayer he’s right? That display…I’ve never seen you act in such a manner.” Female Knight now back in the cage was curious as to what had happened that night.

“Something…I need to deal with…I’ll manage.”

“Goblin Slayer…I’ve heard things these slavers had spoken about. A strange black mark on your arm and neck.” Heavy Warrior had a frown on his face as he looked toward his friend, not with anger but concern. “You have your own curse to deal with, don’t you?”

Goblin Slayer was silent for a moment as he tried to focus on what Heavy Warrior was saying, a painful thumping audible in his head making him grunt and sigh.

“I…I was trying to find a way that would not...affect my party members.”

“Goblin Slayer, you should have…”

Before Heavy Warrior could finish, he saw Slave Handler and several others slowly approaching the cages, but they were heading directly for Female Knight’s cell. Heavy Warrior and Goblin Slayer stood and approached the front of their cages to see what these slavers wanted. Female Knight, still remembering the uncomfortable feeling she had when being touched by Mistress, was defiant as she prepared for what the slavers might do.

“What the hell do you want?”

“You.” Slave Handler raised his right hand and clenched his fist as the ring affected her collar.

Female Knight was forced to collapse to her knees as the other slavers rushed and quickly drug her out as Heavy Warrior and Goblin Slayer slammed themselves into the bars of their cages to get out and help their comrade.

“You bastards get the hell away from her!”

“Don’t you worry boy, your lover will be in good hands, we’re just going to have a bit of fun.”

The slavers dragged Female Knight away, with the effects of the ring gone, she yelled and struggled to break away from the men, her comrades could do nothing but watch. Within another one of the large tents, Female Knight was stripped of her clothing and armor, bound by a set of manacles attached to a large wooden beam above her head. She gritted her teeth as she attempted to kick the men around her but soon enough, one of the slavers grabbed her from behind to keep her still. She looked around to see at least a dozen men staring at her form, some of them sneering while, others licking their lips and other chuckling as to what was going to happen next.

“Mistress was rather displeased that you would not return her affection, so she’s given you to us to play with.”

“You best hope I never get loose, because I will kill every last one of you!”

“Someone gag her, don’t want her trying to bite her tongue to free herself of what’s coming. Be thankful that Mistress has ordered us not to violate you, she still wants you to be pure enough for her at a later time.”

A dirty rag was quickly placed in her mouth and tied behind her head to keep her from screaming or trying to bite these men. She closed her eyes as a tear ran down her face, hoping that the others would come to save her just as the men surrounded her and let their hands explore her. Heavy Warrior continued to slam his shoulder into the cage, but the door would not budge, it was some time later when Slave Handler finally returned with a smirk on his face.

“Where the hell did you take her?”

Slave Handler chuckled as he took out a torn cloth shirt and tossed it into Heavy Warrior’s cage. Heavy Warrior’s eyes were wide, he gasped as he recognized it as the clothing Female Knight had been wearing only a few moments ago.

“Damn you…what the hell have you done?”

“We won’t kill her, but she is going to be quite busy for the next few days. Rest assured you’ll get to see her then…though you may not wish to see her in that state.”

“Damn you!” Heavy Warrior reached through the cage with his arm, struggling to get ahold of Slave Handler. “I swear that I will kill everyone if you so much as hurt her!”

“Save your strength boy, you’ll need it for the game.”

xxxx

While all of this was happening at the slave encampment, Goblin Slayer’s party had arrived at Crossroads. As before they had to be looked over by the Warforged before they were allowed entry into the town.

“Hurry up will you, we need to find Orcbolg and the others.” High Elf Archer growled in frustration as she waited for the constructs to finish examining them.

“Patience Long-Ears, we’ll ask around for the information we need.”

“I hope so, I worry about what they must be doing to Goblin Slayer and the others.” Priestess clutched at her sounding staff as the image of an injured Goblin Slayer flooded her mind.

The Warforged nodded their heads and allowed the party entry into the town, where they were quick to try to find Harpy Mother. After several minutes, they were quick to spot Harpy Mother and her daughter near a large tavern. The party moved to speak with her and after quick pleasantries, Harpy Mother and her daughter were shocked to hear about what had happened to the armored man and the other two adventurers.

“The Hell Games…so those slavers took them and sold them there?” Harpy Mother had a slight frown on her face as she said this. “It’s even more disturbing that they were silenced by those men in the masks.”

“We’re hopeful you or anyone here can lead us in the right direction of these Hell Games.” Lizard Priest was hopeful that this would give them a good starting point should Goblin Slayer and the others not be there as well.

“I unfortunately have no idea about the location, but I do remember a woman coming here. In passing, she mentioned coming from the desert where she had seen humans engage in slave trading.”

“A woman? Is she still here?” Half-Demon Thief was excited that they might have more information that would help them.

“Yes, I believe she was a dragon. You should be able to find her near the fountain in the marketplace.”

Harpy Mother led the party through the busy marketplace and sure enough the found a young woman sitting near the fountain. The dragon appeared to be human female, she had long blonde hair with flaming orange tips, her eyes were orange-red in color with dilated pupils and atop her head were yellowish horns, covering her ample form was a light brown robe. The young woman soon noticed the party approaching and frowned being immediately untrusting of them, especially with a human among them.

“Do you need something?” Her tone carried a hint of annoyance as she narrowed her eyes.

“Please excuse our interruption noble dragon, we seek to hopefully find our missing comrade. Are we to understand that you recent came from the desert?”

“Yes. I came here in hope of finding my fri…a fellow dragon. You’d recognize her easily, a dragon who once posed a deity for humans to worship…just to get free food, she is much more of a pig than a dragon.” The young dragon in human form smirked before turning her attention to the two half-dragons. “I assume this wretched form to easily move about this place, why do you assume that form? Why not become dragons?”

“As half-dragons, we are not able to fully tap into our dragon magic, though in time we might be able to transform.” Half-Dragon Mother had a light smile as she bowed her head toward the dragon.

“What faction do you belong to?”

“I would have at first sided with the Chaos Faction, but recent events have shifted my thinking to the Neutral Faction.”

“Neutral Faction? Why change, I assume it was humans that took your wing? They should all be wiped out.”

“Yes. It was humans who hurt me and my daughter, but it was a human who aided my mate in rescuing my daughter and taking revenge for me.”

“A human helped you?” The female dragon had a frown as she was confused by what she heard.

“It was my big brother who protected me and my mother, but now he’s missing.”

“You’re big brother? You consider this human family?” The dragon shook her head as what she was hearing completely contradicted what her father had told her about humans, it was then she really paid attention to the clothing of Half-Dragon Mother. “Why are you dressed in such a manner?”

“I work as a serving maid at the guild hall. The same place where my mate and his party members associate.”

“ _Maid…there’s that word again. Just like that bandit girl I met at the ruins…I wonder whatever became of her. Still, it sounds as though these are the dragons that man saved…so what he was saying was true._ ” The female dragon, though she had no love for humans, could at least tell them where to find this person who had helped her fellow dragons. “This human you seek, is he a man in armor? Rather odd looking?”

“Yes, that would be Milord Goblin Slayer.”

“In the desert, southwest of this town, roughly seven or eight days travel, depending on how fast you can move, you’ll come across a set of three rocks that lead to a small canyon, in this canyon is a slaver encampment. Know that there are dozens of men there, if you seek to get him back it will not be an easy feat.”

“Thank you so much.” Priestess bowed her head toward the dragon.

“Don’t thank me yet. I don’t care for you humans, but this one helped other dragons, so I’ll offer this bit of assistance. You best hurry if you are to reach him.”

The party gave their thanks and quickly rushed back to their wagon to determined to make it there as soon as possible. Though Lizard Priest wished for his family wait in the town, Half-Dragon Mother and Daughter insisted on coming along to help where they could.

“Finally, we’re coming Orcbolg!”

xxxx

“Tonight is the night of the red moon…this night the “blood moon” will indeed live up to its name as the pit is stained in blood.” Mistress mused as she walked into the tent to examine the state of Female Knight.

“We’ve done as you’ve instructed Mistress. Starved her for the last few days, proceeded with the beatings, her rage will be insatiable tonight.” Slave Handler chuckled as he rubbed his hands together.

“It does wound me to see her in such a state, but she is the one who chose to reject my love. Have the men set her up in the Great Maw…then prepare that man for the fight.”

“At once Mistress.”

Elsewhere, his knuckles are bloody and raw, his shoulders bruised, all of this from days of repeatedly trying to break the door to his cage. Heavy Warrior grunted as he slumped to the ground, exhausted after his repeated attempts to break out and find his lover. For nearly a week there had been no word as to Female Knight’s condition, and all Heavy Warrior could do was blame himself for not being there to save his lover.

“Damn them…I’ll kill them…if they so much as…hurt her…”

“I’m hopeful you left yourself some strength.”

Heavy Warrior growled as he looked toward the front of the cage to see the smirk of Slave Handler looking back at him.

“You…piece of shit…I’m going to…”

“Enough of your threats, it’s time to get you ready to see your woman.”

“What?” Heavy Warrior slowly stood and approached the front of the cage.

“You’re going into the pit tonight, you and your woman.” Slave Handler unlocked the cage door and opened it with a wide smile. “Now come on out, you disobey me and she is going to die.”

Heavy Warrior growled but soon nodded his head with a sigh then looked toward his left to check on Goblin Slayer. The armored man stood in the darkness of the cage, his eye ablaze in the within his helmet as he looked straight ahead then turned his attention toward Heavy Warrior and nodded his head.

“Go.”

“I’m going to bring her back.”

Heavy Warrior followed behind Slave Handler into a nearby tent where a banquet of meat, bread, cheese, and beer were present. Heavy Warrior took one look at this and could feel his stomach growl at the food presented to him. For almost a month he and the others had not been able to eat the way they wished, but now it seemed almost too good to be true.

“I’m not about to beg for food. Where is she?”

“You’ll need your strength for tonight, so I need you to eat and drink, then…” Slave Handler gave a snap of his fingers and several of his subordinates rushed in carrying Heavy Warrior’s armor and sword. “Mistress wants you fighting at your best, so you’ll be dressed in your original armor.”

“You’ll come to regret letting get back in my full gear and my strength back.”

“I’m sure I will…now eat.”

Slave Handler smiled as he watched as Heavy Warrior gratefully ate the food before him, while he looked outside to see the setting sun and knew the moon would be rising that night. What none of them knew was the group of adventurers waiting near the rocks looking down at the encampment below. High above them, Half-Dragon Daughter, using the sun at her back to block her seeing eyes flew over the encampment carefully studying everything, but mostly looking for her big brother.

“What do you think?” Priestess carefully peered over the edge, but from their vantage point it was hard to make out all the individuals as she searched for her teacher.

“These men and women are professionals, in the sense they’ve been living like this for some time, once we get down there be prepared for them to fight like hell or to possibly start executing the slaves to save themselves.” Half-Demon Thief, having been a thief for several years, had a good understanding of the people down below.

“They’re talking about a fight tonight…and I hear…many are afraid of Slayer, the armored man…how he slaughtered the men in the pit.” High Elf Archer’s ears twitched as she picked up on many of the conversations below. “It sounds like Orcbolg has been busy.”

“You think they mean Goblin Slayer?”

“I can’t think of anyone else other than Beardcutter putting the fear into those who would be foolish enough to fight against him.”

Soon Half-Dragon Daughter descended to join her family and tell them what she had seen.

“There are many tents with various people coming in and out, but near one of the largest tents in a big pit with many spikes all around it. In the center of the pit I saw a blonde woman tied to a wooden pole, nearby the pit was a woman with red hair look over it.”

“Excellent little one! Now, I want you to remain here with Wolf while the rest of us go down there.”

“What? Papa…Mama…I want to go and help to!”

“I know you do, but these men are like the ones who attacked us before, you remember? When you get stronger, then you’ll be able to do more, but for now you’ve done enough.” Half-Dragon Mother smiled as she placed a firm hand on her daughter’s shoulder before embracing her.

“I…I understand Mama.” Half-Dragon Daughter sighed as she looked down toward the ground. “ _I need to get stronger. I want to be more useful to Mama, Papa and my family._ ”

“Let us get down toward there and be ready to move once these slavers are at this game.” Lizard Priest clenched his Dragontooth Blade tightly. “Hold strong my friend, we will get you all out of there!”

xxxx

Heavy Warrior grunted as he gripped his sword, it felt heavier than normal, but then again he had not been using his normal gear for nearly a month, but he indeed felt much better than he had in many days. Now in his gear, carrying his sword, and with a full stomach, he felt as if he could take on the world, and he would if it meant saving the woman he loved. Heavy Warrior followed the slavers as they approached the gate that would lead him to the Great Maw. As the gate slowly raised, he could feel the color drain from his face as he beheld the sight before him. There tied to a wooden post, much like the goblin when Goblin Slayer was forced to fight was the naked and bruised body of Female Knight. He rushed towards her, dropping his sword along the ground as carefully placed his hands upon her face.

“Gods no…please, tell me you’re alright?”

Female Knight grunted as she struggled to open her eyes, the moment she laid eyes upon her lover, tears began to run.

“Do not worry, I made sure that my subordinates did not ravage her, they’re not goblins after all.” Mistress of the Game chuckled as she looked down from the top of the pit.

“Damn you, you foul slut! I will cut out your heart!” Heavy Warrior growled as he pulled at her bonds to get her off the post.

“Where are my manners? Use this.” Mistress threw in a small dagger which had a brilliant shine to it.

Going on the instinct of a man saving his lover, he rushed to pick up the blade, then rushed back to cut the ropes that bound Female Knight. Female Knight fell forward but was caught by Heavy Warrior who carefully sat down with her to allow her to regain her strength.

“I should mention…that blade is silver.”

“Silver?” Heavy Warrior looked at the dagger in his hand then quickly looked towards Female Knight left hand but found the silver ring was missing. “No.”

“I’ll be keeping it as a keepsake.” Mistress smiled as she held the ring in her hand which it was attached to a chain around her neck.

Heavy Warrior suddenly felt a cold chill run down his spine as he turned to look upward and saw the large blood moon directly above them. He then felt Female Knight begin to violently shake in his arms, he looked down to see her growling as she looked up at the moon with wide eyes as she teeth changed into fangs and her fingernails began to become like claws. Female Knight looked toward Heavy Warrior and struck him with the back of her hand knocking him on his back, dropping the silver dagger. He grunted as he slowly stood and reached for his sword to support him as he stood back up while his lover roared as she once again changed into her wolf form. He then heard the wooden gate suddenly come crashing down, sealing him in the pit with the werewolf. Female Knight threw her head back with a final howl, and now the werewolf stood there, towering a foot over Heavy Warrior snarling at the human.

“My…she’s beautiful. I should have had her transform much sooner.” Mistress smiled as she placed her hands on either side of her face marveling at the snow-white fur of the werewolf with the flowing blonde mane.

“Come on now…please don’t do this.” Heavy Warrior slowly back away with sword in hand.

The werewolf growled as it lunged forward to at Heavy Warrior, he used his sword to block the strike, but stumbled backwards from the blow. The werewolf growled as she crouched low to the ground on all fours before lunging for Heavy Warrior. Outside the pit Slave Handler and the others laughed as they heard the growls and roars of the werewolf as she attacked her lover.

“What better thing to feed a starving werewolf than a fat pig! Stupid man, that meal wasn’t to give him strength but to fatten him up for the kill.” Slave Handler continued to laugh as he slowly walked away from the gate. “I’m going to tell the famous “Slayer” just what going on with his foolish friends. Doesn’t matter who kills who, tonight there will be blood!”

Goblin Slayer’s breathing was slow as he took in deep breaths and exhaled slowly. The pain in his head becoming excruciating that he was forced to lean forward and grab the bars to his cage and lean forward, letting his head rest against the bars.

“ _Beloved? Beloved can you hear me?_ ”

“ _There will be no interference from you this time. Tonight…this boy’s rage will run wild as he slays all in his path!_ ”

**Author’s Note: I got one more chapter to wrap up the Hell Games Arc, things are looking dark and are about to get darker. Beast Master was a sympathetic villain who we could rationalize with, Lich Queen has come around and become some many care about, Mistress…has no redeeming qualities. Mistress, Slave Handler, Slave Enchanter, they are all going to get what’s coming to them.**


	52. Chapter 52

“ _Beloved! I need you to listen to my voice, come back to me…Beloved!_ ”

Goblin Slayer struggled to keep himself on his feet, he could not hear the voice of the Lich Queen amidst the constant thumping in his head. Instead, he heard the sinister chuckle that seemed to follow in rhythm with the painful thumping.

“ _It’s time boy. Your party members aren’t coming to save you. Those two others are probably dead. All you can do is save yourself. You must survive…we still have much to do when this is through!_ ”

Goblin Slayer slumped to his knees, his head still leaning against the bars while his hands tightly gripped them to keep his body from falling backwards. The other slaves took notice of this, but soon heard the laughing of the fat Slave Handler, and only a few moments later he came he rounding the corner while the cries and cheers of the others slavers could be heard coming from the Great Maw.

“Well what do we have here?” Slave Handler continued to chuckle as he approached the cages only to see the motionless body of Goblin Slayer near the front. “What’s wrong boy? Did your body finally give out on you?”

Slave Handler drew out a club with his left hand and gave Goblin Slayer a quick strike atop his helmet, but there was no reaction.

“You hear all that cheering boy? Your friends are fighting to the death in the pit right now. We had so much fun with that woman over the last week. Beating her…groping her…starving her…makes the stuff we did to you look like child’s play! Now she has transformed and will probably eat her lover just to satisfy her hunger and bloodlust!”

His chuckle turned to sadistic laughter as he continuously struck the immobile Goblin Slayer. Suddenly, a hand shot out of the cage grabbing hold of his collar and just as quickly as it appeared dragged him forward slamming his face into the cage. Slave Handler gasped as he could feel the blood running down his nose from his face, then felt a strong vice-like grip clutch at his throat. He looked down to slowly see Goblin Slayer slowly look upward with twin blazing eyes.

“You…son of…a…”

Slave Handler struggled to speak and catch his breath as Goblin Slayer tightened his grip around the fat man’s neck with his right hand. Slave Handler raised his own right hand to clench his fist and use the enchanted ring but Goblin Slayer’s left grip the slaver’s hand and crushed his fingers before he could make a fist.

“Not this time fool.” Goblin Slayer’s voice was menacing, demonic and in the darkness of the cage looked like a true demon to Slave Handler.

Slave Handler struggled to breath, finding he could even scream for help or in pain ad Goblin Slayer continued to apply pressure. His right hand broken and his wind pipe closing, Slave Handler could see his vision begin to darken, his last though before losing consciousness was cursing his own stupidity of getting too close to the cage. Goblin Slayer continued to squeeze even Slave handler’s face began to pale and his tongue hung from his mouth then with a final grunt, turned to the head to the side violently as he and the others slaves heard the crack.

“Worthless.”

Goblin Slayer released his grip with his left hand to grab the keys off Slave Handler’s belt. With keys in hand he released his grip on the fat man and allowed him to drop to the ground like a sack of potatoes as he went to work undoing his lock. He opened the door to the cell and walked forward, casually stepping over the body of Slave Handler as he took in his surroundings.

“Slayer!” A loud whisper called out to him.

Goblin Slayer turned to see the other slaves in their cells gripping their bars as they all approached the front of the cages.

“Release us…please.”

Goblin Slayer stared at the Yuan-Ti who called out to him, in the back of his mind he remembered how he and his colleagues had spared the creature and his brothers in the pit some time ago.

“ _What are you doing boy? I told you need to worry only about yourself!_ ”

Goblin Slayer calmly walked toward the cage with keys in hand and went to work unlocking the Yuan-Ti cell.

“Thank you Slayer.”

“Here. Take this and free the others.” Goblin Slayer set the keys in the hands of the freed Yuan-Ti before turning his attention to the others who could hear him. “There is a weapons tent around this corner, gather what you need. When you are armed and ready, set the beasts loose as well, we’ll need as much chaos as necessary if we are to destroy this place.”

“Understood.” Yuan-Ti after freeing his brothers, dispersed the keys so they could unlock more cells at a time. “We will take our revenge against those who have tortured us and burn this wretched place to the ground. Are you going to and rescue your comrades?”

“No. They do not need my assistance, they can defend themselves.” Goblin Slayer calmly walked away from the group of freed slaves towards the weapons tent. “I’m going to kill that woman. She has lived long enough.”

“If you do kill her, be sure to go for the head…because she has no heart.” The Yuan-Ti cautioned before he continued his work to free the other slaves.

xxxx

Heavy Warrior jumped back in time as the werewolf’s claws scratched against his chest plate. With sword still in hand he struggled to find his footing all the while the crowds above cheered above. Mistress herself was ecstatic as she watched the fight unfold below wondering who would kill who.

“ _Damn…I knew she was strong before she could transform, but this strength is ridiculous._ ” Heavy Warrior’s breathing was ragged as he was still not used to the sudden change in weight as he battled his lover. “I need you to stop! She’s playing us against each other!”

The werewolf did not seem to understand what the human was saying, or if it did, did not care to acknowledge it. All that it knew was to fall back on its instincts and right now it was starving! The werewolf lunged forward tackling Heavy Warrior and pinning him to the ground where she attempted to bite him. Heavy Warrior quickly moved his head to the side just as the werewolf’s teeth snapped shut and quickly pushed the werewolf off, knocking it back to the ground.

“I’m…I’m sorry.” Heavy Warrior grunted as he got back to his feet.

The werewolf snarled at the human as it began to stalk the man, moving around on all floors. Heavy Warrior raised his claymore ready to defend himself as he watched the movements of the werewolf.

“ _I…I don’t want to hurt her, but I need to defend myself. As a werewolf…surely the blows from my blade won’t be fatal since it’s not made of silver._ ” The moment he thought about this his eyes quickly darted over to see the silver dagger lying on the floor nearby. “ _If I get the dagger, then I…NO! What am I thinking, even with my sword any attack against her would mean I valued myself over her. Have I been here that long that I even contemplated saving my own backside over her?_ ”

“ _…I did not train them…they have placed their trust in me and I in them…_ ”

The words of Goblin Slayer came to mind as he looked at his lover in her werewolf form as she once again slashed at him only for him to take another step back.

“ _That’s right, we focused on establishing trust prior to the ring. She was able to recognize me, or at least that’s what I want to think._ ” Heavy Warrior looked toward his claymore with a sigh dropped it to the side.

Everyone watching this was shocked by the adventurer’s actions, though many figured it would only be a matter of seconds before the werewolf killed them man. Mistress chuckled to herself, believing that the man had given up on hurting his woman and would allow himself to be her food. The werewolf growled as she looked toward this man, not caring that he had dropped his weapon, still waiting for the moment to pounce on him and gouge herself on his flesh.

“I trust you.” Heavy Warrior breathed out a heavy sigh as he waited with open arms at his sides, almost waiting to embrace her.

The werewolf snarled once again before charging at the adventurer, tackling him to the ground once again. Heavy Warrior grunted before looking up to see the snarling face of the werewolf staring back at him with its bright blue eyes. Though frightened, Heavy Warrior breathed out a large sigh and closed his eyes as he waited to see how things would go. The werewolf was slightly confused by the prey’s actions but soon it could feed, it growled as it opened its jaws wide yet stopped itself. Its nose took in the scent of the man, it was a nostalgic scent, and little by little her mind pushed aside the rage and began to recall the human side.

“ _This…human, I know him. Need, need to focus…this man, he’s the one who would stroke my hand. No, there’s something deeper…he’s the one I love._ ” The werewolf’s face began to soften as she looked toward this man, the memories of her human side taking over. “ _I… I was going to harm him? I heard him…he trusts me…he trusts me then and now._ ”

Heavy Warrior still had his eyes closed as felt something wet hit his face, he slowly opened his eyes thinking it was the werewolf salivating over him and was surprised to see the werewolf crying as she looked at him. The werewolf no longer barred its teeth, as it slightly turned its head studying the him with tears running down its cheek and snout. Heavy Warrior slowly raised his right hand towards the werewolf, gently placing it upon the left side of her face and using his thumb to away her tears. The werewolf responded by placing its large left paw upon his right hand and leaning her head into his hand.

“I’m sorry you had to suffer, I swear we’re leaving this hellhole together.”

The werewolf let out a loud whine as her tail started wagging in happiness of hearing this. She was quickly got off and Heavy Warrior got back to his feet to the sounds jeers from the crowd above. He and the werewolf looked up to see the angry faces of the slavers and Mistress face contorted in rage at the sight below which brought a smile to his face.

“Damn you! You just don’t know when to die!”

“I am far too happy to disappoint you.”

“You two…you will obey me! Continue your fight! Kill one another!”

Mistress gave a quick snap of her fingers and several of her subordinates quickly moved around the pit with crossbows aimed directly at them. Heavy Warrior was apprehensive as he saw this, when he suddenly felt something grasp at his shoulder. He turned to see the werewolf looking at him and in her clawed hand was his claymore, which she easily held in one hand, before extending it toward him. The smirk returned to his face once again as he took hold of the grip and stood by his lover with sword in hand while she extended out her claws while snarling at the men above.

“Give it your best shot!”

Before Mistress could give the order, there was a loud roar to the side as the as the massive Bulette charged forward crashing into the stands where the slavers were being held. The salvers could see various beasts rampaging through the camp followed by armed slaves attacking and killing nearby slavers. Mistress and others immediately caught sight of several of the tents now engulfed in flames.

From down in the pit, Heavy Warrior and the Werewolf could not see what was going on, but could hear the sounds of battle and the death cries all around them. Though the armed men with crossbows were no longer around them, both he and the werewolf remained cautious, when they heard the tightening of the ropes coming from the gate behind them. He turned, putting himself in front of his werewolf love expecting the slavers to rush in, but with the gate open saw a female half-elf and one of the Yuan-Ti standing there with weapons in hand.

“Come on. The Slayer is putting an end to this tonight!” The Yuan Ti called for the two of them to follow him.

The werewolf began to growl at the sight of the figures, her instincts telling her to protect her mate. She paused when she felt something get hold of her shoulder and turned to see her mate shaking his head.

“It’s ok, we can trust them.”

As the two exited the pit, there was nothing but chaos all around as the slavers battled against the freed slaves and monstrous beasts that attacked.

“Where the hell did these people come from? Who gave them arms?”

“The beasts are loose!”

“ _It was him. When I find that damn man, I’ll mount his head on a pike overlooking the pit!_ ” Mistress clenched her fists as she looked at the chaotic sight around her. “Enchanter…get these slaves under control! The rest of you, put an end to this riot! Save what assets you can…slaughter the rest!”

xxxx

“The whole camp is in an uproar!” Half-Demon Thief was surprised as she watched everyone fighting.

The moment they saw several of the tents go up in a fiery blaze, the party immediately rushed in. the sight around them was indeed chaotic as they passed several bodies and had to be weary of the wild beasts that ran loose as well. They had to fight their way from a group of slavers and a goblin champion before they heard the sounds of someone groaning. The found a young woman groaning as she dragged herself away from the slaver she had killed, suddenly surprised to see this new group of people.

“Stay still, I’ll help you.” Priestess rushed to reassured the young woman while she examined her wounds.

“Who…who are you?”

“Adventurers, we here to help.” High Elf Archer gave the woman a quick nod as she readied her bow and arrow.

“That Beardcutter just can’t stay still can he?”

“You really think Goblin Slayer is responsible for starting this?” Priestess grunted as she took hold of one of the injured salves and pulled her to safety.

“Slayer? You know the Slayer?” The woman was struggling to sit up as she heard them mention the armored man.

“Slayer? You mean Goblin Slayer? Yes, he is in our party. Please calm yourself.” Priestess did her best to keep the young woman still.

“He was taken by the slavers, we’re here to get him back.” Half-Demon Thief readied her daggers as she heard the sounds of people approaching. “They’re coming!”

xxxx

“Mistress look out!”

There was a monstrous roar from the massive bulette; blood, spit and fragments of its most recent meal flew from its massive maw before charging toward Mistress. Mistress had a cold look on her face as the beast drew closer, she calmly drew out her sword and readied herself for the attack. Her expertise as a swordswoman was clear for all to see as she effortlessly dodged the beast and slashed at its side. The monster shrieked in pain before turning itself around to attack Mistress, who moved about the creature gracefully while continuing her attack. The massive beast finally fell, blood running from its wounds as it looked up at to see Mistress towering over her. The creature let out a pitiful cry as Mistress rammed her sword through the beast’s eye piercing its brain.

“Even these beasts are beneath me, are there no challenges for someone of my caliber?” Mistress calmly walked across the battlefield making her way to the tent, despite the carnage around her. “ _I must deal with those three as quickly as possible. First the Goblin Slayer, they chant his name as the incite this pitiful insurrection, with him dead I’ll be able to kill those other two. I’d prefer to save my knight, if given the time I’d be able to break her, but I must be prepared to_ ”

“There she is! Kill her!”

Mistress of the Game sighed in annoyance and turned to look toward the armed salves with a look of disgust on her face. The slaves rushed forward with weapons ready to slay the vile Mistress but were completely unprepared for the opponent before them. With the grace of an experienced fighter, Mistress easily avoided the wide strikes of slaves then charged forward slashing her blade. Her blade easily decapitated the first two slaves, the third slave’s entrails spilled out of her stomach, the last two slaves had horrid gashes across their faces. Mistress chuckled to herself as she watched the bodies of the slaves dropped the floor before she gave a quickly flick of her sword to shake the blood from her glorious blade.

“Worthless scum.” Mistress more annoyed than angry, finished crossing the battlefield to enter her tent.

Once inside her tent, she immediately made her way towards her suit of armor but due to her anger, she was completely unaware of the figure who stood off in the corner.

“Miserable slaves. They should know their place! Before this night is over, I shall see that every survivor is punished for this! They’ll beg for death before…” Mistress stopped herself before she could even get one of her gauntlets on, for in the reflection of the armor she could see a figure standing in the shadows.

Within the darkness of his helmet she could see the blaze of his red eye as he slowly moved toward her, she in turn chuckled to herself as she tightened her grip around her sword.

“Everything has gone to hell, ever since I took in you three.” Mistress continued to laugh as she turned around to see Goblin Slayer standing before her. “If I knew that you three would be so much trouble, I would have demanded a fee from that fool of a man.”

Goblin Slayer was silent as he stood before the woman, he had managed to retrieve his sword but kept it sheathed in its scabbard. Mistress hands were trembling with rage as her eyes began to dilate, her face once again twisted with her rising anger.

“At least I take can pleasure in taking your head!”

Mistress screamed as she slashed forward, but Goblin Slayer easily evaded her attack. She continued her attack slashing and lunging to kill the armored man, but with every attack he would effortlessly dodge or backstep. Just a moment ago, she looked like a graceful dancer as she maneuvered around the monsters and slaves, easily dispatching them, yet this man continued to avoid her every attack as if she were a novice.

“ _Damn you! You stand there silent as we battle, you even refuse to draw your sword! How dare you mock me!_ ” Mistress gritted her teeth as she continued her attack once again screaming in anger. “You miserable insect! How dare you make light of our battle! You can’t beat me by just evading my attacks, now draw your sword and fight me!”

Mistress once again lunged forward, but this time Goblin Slayer did not evade, he instead raised his left hand. He allowed the blade to pierce through his hand, Mistress pushed her blade forward until the guard of her sword was now hitting the palm of his hand. Mistress had a sinister smile on her face as she saw this, but then it changed to one of confusion as he closed his hand around the guard and her hand. Mistress grunted as she tried to pull both her hand and sword free but could not break Goblin Slayer’s vice-like grip.

“Unhand me you worthless pile of excrement!”

Goblin Slayer, still silent, struck Mistress across the face with his right fist; she stumbled backwards collapsing before her throne. Goblin Slayer grunted as he looked at the fallen Mistress before turning his attention to the blade still stuck in his hand. He grabbed the top of the blade and easily broke it, then took hold of the grip and tore it out. He looked at the hole now present in his left hand before tossing the broken sword aside, once again his full attention was focused on Mistress who struggled to get herself back up.

“Damn it…”

Mistress grunted as wiped the blood from the side of her mouth, then looked up to see Goblin Slayer stalking toward her. For the briefest of moments, she was afraid and began to back up until she hit the front of her throne. Goblin Slayer lunged forward with his left hand, tightly gripping Mistress by her neck, as she brought up her hands to try and break his grip.

“You…you will release me…bastard!”

“Unfortunately for you, I won’t choke you like I did that fat fool. I am not that merciful.” Goblin Slayer’s tone was different, much like what he sounded like when he slaughtered the slavers in the pit.

“So…you finally…speak.” Mistress put forward a smirk on her face to look brave but was in fact very afraid. “Do…you really…expect me to beg?”

“No. All the people who have died at this wretched place, just because you were allowed to live…it ends now. First though, there are three things you should know.” Goblin Slayer moved his right hand to take hold of Mistress’s left hand.

She had a confused look on her face as he moved his tight grip from her hand to just her index finger.

“First…it was a mistake to have hurt me colleagues.” Goblin Slayer suddenly gave it a violent twist as the crack of her finger was heard.

Mistress gasped at the sudden pain, then watched with wide eyes as he then gripped her middle finger.

“Second…it was very foolish to enrage me.” As before, Goblin Slayer gave the woman’s finger a violent twist.

Mistress gasped once again, the pain from her useless fingers brought tears to her eyes as she looked back toward Goblin Slayer with scared eyes as he gripped the next finger.

“Third…” Goblin Slayer paused for a moment to chuckle at the sight of Mistress trembling in fear before calmly continuing. “…I’ve still got seven more fingers after this.”

Mistress eyes were wide as she heard this and with the third snap of her fingers, she screamed!

xxxx

“Kneel before your masters you filthy slaves!”

Slave Enchanter had a crazed smile on his face as he clenched his fist and watched as the salves around him dropped to their knees as they clutched at their collars. While the slaves were incapacitated, many of the slavers charged forward and vented their frustration and slaughtered several of the slaves. Slave Enchanter continued to chuckle at the sight but was cut short as an arrow pierced through his left eye, he staggered for a few moments before falling backwards. Before the slavers could even comprehend what had transpired, they were suddenly blinded by a flash of light as a voice could be heard.

“Holy Light!”

With the effect on the slave collars was ended and the slaves could see six figured charging forward to attack the blinded slavers, they themselves quickly got back up and joined in the attack. With the slavers cut down in the area, the freed slaves looked at the group of adventurers who had come to assist them.

“Are you alright?” The lizardman asked as he looked over the group of salves before him.

“Who…who are you all?”

“We are part of Goblin Slayer’s party. We came to find him and help you all.” It was a young woman who replied, her dark skin and bright yellow eyes identified her as a demon.

“The Slayer! Allies of the Slayer!”

The freed slaves and Goblin Slayer’s party soon heard the shouts of several figured and prepared themselves to engage another group of the slavers, but soon saw Heavy Warrior and the werewolf female Knight leading another large group of slaves toward them. Upon seeing each other the two groups rushed to meet one another, friends happily reunited and the slaves rejoicing at their victory over their captors!

“Your comrade, is she…” Priestess was slightly worried at the sight of the werewolf especially under the red moon above them.

“Not to worry, I am here to help her.” Heavy Warrior smiled as he lowered his sword and reached for her clawed hand.

The werewolf was calm as she tilted her head to the side before leaning in to give the side of his face a quick lick.

“Yuck…not quite used to that.”

There was a quick laugh from the rest of the party, but as they looked around the slaves, they did not spot any sign of Goblin Slayer.

“Goblin Slayer…was he not with you?” Half-Dragon Mother still looked around to try to find him.

“No, I haven’t seen Goblin Slayer since I was taken to the pit to fight.”

“Slayer freed us and said he was going after Mistress. When we kill Mistress of the Game, the collars will release, and we will truly be free!” The Yuan-Ti smiled as he placed his hand upon his collar.

“Mistress of the Game? Is she the one responsible for all this?” High Elf Archer was confused by the name of this woman as she too looked for Orcbolg.

“Yes she is.” Heavy Warrior tightly clenched his fist as he thought about all they had to endure for nearly a month here at the Hell Games. “If we’re to get rid of these collars, we need to deal with her immediately.”

“She’ll be in the largest tent, we must hurry.” The Yuan-Ti raised his fist high to embolden the other slaves.

The group of slaves joined his shout and soon the freed slaves and adventurers rushed through the camp making their way toward the largest tent. To their surprise, they found Half-Dragon Daughter atop Wolf near the tent.

“Little one, what are you doing here?” Lizard Priest was shocked to see his daughter down here on the battlefield.

“We told you to stay up top where it was safe. We even left Wolf with you.” Half-Dragon Mother was rather angry to see her daughter here as well.

“I did follow your directions, that is until we saw someone who looked like big brother entering this tent. Wolf immediately took off and I followed behind him. I’m sorry.”

“At least they’re with Wolf Scaly and the battle is over. Now, let’s get Beardcutter and deal with this Mistress or whatever she calls herself.”

Before they could enter the tent, the collars around every slave’s neck suddenly snapped and they fell to the floor. The slaves reached for their necks, smiling as they were finally able to touch their throats, free of that wretched collar. All was silent outside the tent, save the crackling of the fire around them, the groups outside the tents tensed as they heard the footstep of someone approaching. The flap to the tent was moved aside and out stepped Goblin Slayer much of his armor stained in blood. Goblin Slayer paused for a moment as he looked over everyone as he stepped out of the tent.

“You’re here.”

Goblin Slayer’s tone was slightly different from what his group was used to, but at that moment all were happy to see him.

“Goblin Slayer!”

“Orcbolg you’re okay!”

“Goblin Slayer…are you…” Heavy Warrior suddenly remembered what they had been discussing about a week ago, and he was concerned with the Goblin Slayer before them.

“I am unhurt. Here…” Goblin Slayer flung something in his right hand toward Heavy Warrior.

He caught the item, and as he examined it found the silver ring attached to the chain Mistress had around her neck earlier.

“The ring…Goblin Slayer, thank you. I am truly indebted to you and your party.” Heavy Warrior smiled as he nodded his head toward Goblin Slayer then remembered the whole reason they were here. “Mistress, is she…”

“She has been dealt with. The Hell Games…are no more.”

The was a sudden cheer from the slaves before they all began chanting the name “Slayer” over and over. The rest of Goblin Slayer’s party were surprised by this and yet happy to see these individuals so thrilled to be helped by Goblin Slayer.

“Thank you Slayer, you have truly set us free!” The Eldest Yuan-Ti Brother smiled as he bowed his head toward Goblin Slayer.

“You were wrong though…” Goblin Slayer then threw something from his left hand along the ground with a sickening splat. “I just needed to look for it.”

There was a gasp from everyone when they saw the bloody heart on the ground, all eyes were on Goblin Slayer only to see his turn and walk away from the tent with a small chuckle, even walking past Half-Dragon Daughter and Wolf without acknowledging them. Half-Demon Thief was deeply concerned by this sudden change in Goblin Slayer, and although she was nervous, she opened the flap of the tent to check inside and gasped at the sight before her.

“Gods…” Half-Demon Thief let the flap fall as she backed up while covering her mouth.

The rest of the party saw this and all eyes fell upon the tent, Heavy Warrior threw the flap of the tent open as he and the others entered the tent, Half-Dragon Daughter stayed outside with Wolf. There was a gasp of shock, all had wide eyes, Priestess vomited the contents of her stomach off to the side with a violent cough.

“By the gods…what the hell is this?” Dwarf Shaman was at a loss for words.

Much of the tent was saturated with blood, there upon the throne, was the body of a woman in military attire poised in a sitting position. From the neck to the stomach was a large cut which allowed anyone to see inside the body, as the entrails sat in a pile by her feet. The rib cage was broken at the sternum and pulled apart, it almost appeared as if someone had pried it open with their bare hands. The head was no longer on the body, for it was now in front of the throne, impaled upon the grip of Goblin Slayer’s sword as the blade was stuck in the ground. Attached to the woman’s neck was part of the spine, though it showed signs that it was not cut but torn out. Her blood-stained hair gently swayed in the wind, her tongue hung out of her mouth, and her eyes rolled back into her skull, and upon her face were her cracked glasses.

“Did…did Orcbolg do this? What the hell would drive him to act like that?”

“The torture we endured here…was brutal to say the least. She deserved this and more, but to see Goblin Slayer be the one to do it. I fear that there is more to Goblin Slayer than he is letting on.” Heavy Warrior shook his head at the sight of the mangled corpse.

“What do you mean?” Priestess, now calm once again, turned her attention toward Heavy Warrior.

“I believe that Goblin Slayer has his own curse to deal with, just as my love.”

xxxx

“That is most unfortunate.”

Deep under the Capital, hidden in the catacomb-like sewers, Necromancer finished sowing on the faces and limbs for his next Abomination. Like many of the others, he used various bodies to create the being of perfection, the body was that of a troll while the center head was that of a dark-elf, upon its chest was the face of a dwarf and a goblin. On the right side of the body were two arms, and on the left side was an elongated arm with a horrendous claw for a hand. He finished pouring the strange green liquid down the monster’s through the main head and in a matter of minutes, the creature let out an unholy roar as all three faces were alive and shrieking.

“Beautiful.” Necromancer watched as his creation followed his direction and moved into the holding cell with the other creatures.

“Another success master.” The Faceless Man bowed his head in admiration of his master’s genius.

“I had wish to do more business with that man, but it was necessary to ensure our secrecy until the time is right.” Necromancer walked around the various cells to study the different creations they had created. “You are certain, no one knows of us?”

“Yes master, our brother made sure to silence himself before the adventurers could divulge any information from him as per our rules.”

“Excellent. Perhaps…it might be time for us to move into the next stage of our research?”

“The Capital master?”

“No, we draw too much attention to ourselves that way. Perhaps a small hamlet, in order for our research to truly flourish, we must see how well the solution works on a smaller scale before we try for the Capital. No, before that…I wat to see how my brutes and abominations will do against villagers and simple adventurers.” Necromancer chuckled to himself as he imagined what wonders he would see. “Very soon, if all goes according to plan, we shall see how these fools conduct themselves in a world of chaos.”

**Author’s Note: The Hell Games are over! There are truly dark times ahead of us, Lich Queen was unable to pull Goblin Slayer away from the darkness this night and now the Necromancer begins to move further with his plan. How will the others save Goblin Slayer from his curse…assuming they can?**

**On a side note, I’m a little disappointed with this chapter, I feel I built up too much in the last chapter, and this one doesn’t feel quite like the other chapters I’ve written. Something about this chapter feels a bit off to me, then again maybe it’s just me. Before I go through burn out, let me go back and touch up chapters 40 to 52, fix the typos and maybe add some extra bits here and there like the other arcs. Thanks again, look forward to the next arc…the Wraith is coming.**


	53. Chapter 53

“Now that we’re just about back home, what did you mean about his own curse?” Priestess had a slight frown upon her face as she looked toward the front of the wagon.

The party was now only one day away from Frontier Town, prior to this, the surviving slaves were gathered in what usable carts and wagons they could find and followed Slayer’s party over the long eight-day travel out of the desert to Crossroads. The survivors were quick to offer their gratitude to Slayer and the others for freeing them and helping to stopping the sadistic Hell Games.

“What of the others who were taken away before your arrival?” A female half-elf was quite concerned for the safety of her friend who was no longer by her side.

“We’ve gathered all the paperwork we could find in the Mistress’ tent. The moment we get back to our own town, we’ll get it sent off to those who have more authority than we do.” Female Knight, now returned to her human form and silver ring once again on her left middle finger, smiled. “Rest assured, we’ll get your friends back and make those responsible pay.”

“We are forever in your debt! You, the warrior and Slayer…you are true heroes!” Elder Yuan-Ti Brother cheered as he threw his fist up into the air.

The other freed slaves followed suit once again chanting the name Slayer over and over. The party of adventurers were indeed happy to hear praise, but a glance back concerned them. Goblin Slayer stood off by himself, away from the others, not looking at anything in particular. Wolf whined as he sat near Goblin Slayer, and purposely nuzzled his head under Goblin Slayer’s hand, but no real attempt was made to pet the dire wolf. After all that was done, the journey back to Frontier Town had been rather quiet. The others would converse and discover the horrors the trio had to endure at the encampment.

“Most of the time, Goblin Slayer and I were taken out in the morning for beatings then tied to posts to bake in the sun. There were days I would have begged for a ladle of water if weren’t for sheer determination.” Heavy Warrior smirked as he was able to reflect on all he had gone through.

“Truly dreadful, why would such a person do something like that?” Lizard Priest shook his head trying to ponder how a human could act in such a manner.

“Mistress had been a slave there as well, abandoned by her friends she must have fallen into a state of madness.” Female Knight had thankfully recovered from her week long beatings yet shuddered as she recalled the gaze of Mistress as she watched her. “She had some kind of crazed fixation on me, calling me her toy. It was…unsettling to say the least.”

“I’m so sorry to hear about that, I’m glad to see that you all made it out alright.” Priestess frowned as she grew sadder as she thought about what her colleagues had to endure. “What of…Goblin Slayer, what did they do to him?”

The rest of the party would look out the wagon to see Goblin Slayer calmly walking with Wolf by his side. He had not said a single word to anyone over the journey from the Hell Games to Crossroads, merely nodding his head to the freed slaves before departing. Half-Dragon Daughter had tried to talk to her big brother, but he had remained silent, only patting her head to acknowledge her.

“Orcbolg hasn’t said anything for days. He was always a human of few words, but this is odd…and a little scary when I think about it. Can you tell us what happened to him?”

“He should be the one telling you this, even I didn’t see all he had to endure. We only know because other slaves had seen him and told us what Mistress was doing.” Heavy Warrior sighed as it felt that he now had the weight of the world on his shoulders. “What I’m about to say is going to be very upsetting? Are you sure you’re ready to hear this? Even I am debating on making sure that Guild Girl or that friend of his on the farm never learn about any of this.”

The rest of Goblin Slayer’s party, as well as Half-Dragon Mother and Daughter, were nervous about what they might discover but nodded their heads.

“The man who sold us to Mistress had made a request that Goblin Slayer be tortured as painfully and as often as possible. It was evidently in retaliation for killing someone close to the salver.”

Half-Dragon Mother and Daughter grew sadder as they thought about Goblin Slayer having to endure such pain because he had come to save them.

“As I said earlier, Goblin Slayer was forced to go through the same torture I was, but…had to endure more before many of his matches. While tied to the post, he was consistently beaten by the slavers clubs, used as a living target for sling practice and…there were times they would strip him naked, beat him within an inch of his life, then douse him with buckets of urine and pelt him with human and animal waste.”

There was a look of shock and horror on everyone’s face as they heard this, their gaze immediately drawn back to Goblin Slayer who remained silent. What he was put through seemed beyond belief, that could easily explain why he lashed out at Mistress the way he did, but his current attitude was something else. Many of them thought back to what was mentioned by Heavy Warrior, something about a possible curse he was forced to bear, they wanted to ask then and there but thought better of it, there had been enough revelations that day.

“Let’s give Beardcutter a few days, then we’ll see what he’s like.”

The group did just that but did not feel much better as come night time while they slept Goblin Slayer was constantly awake and always watching them. Priestess or Half-Demon Thief would awaken in the middle of the night to see Goblin Slayer staring down at them. Though nervous they would ask if something was wrong, yet he remained silent, changing his gaze to something else.

“We’re only a couple days away from home. Finally we can put this whole ordeal behind us.” High Elf Archer smiled but that soon turned to a frown as she looked toward Goblin Slayer. “ _Or at least that’s what I’d like to think, but I’m really worried about Orcbolg. When was the last time he slept?_ ”

What none of them knew of course was he was forcing himself to stay awake due to a fear that his darker side would take over if he was not able to control himself. At almost every moment he could hear the two voices pleading to him, though the voice of the Lich seemed to be growing quieter.

“ _Come on Slayer, just rest yourself and I’ll take over for you. When those fools go to sleep, wouldn’t it be so easy to slit their throats? Not to mention how much enjoyment you’d get out of seeing all that blood. Just like with that female human at the slave camp…even with a sword at your side **you** chose to use your hands for all the dirty work. Quite impressive._”

“ _Beloved, you must resist. You are strong, a remedy will reveal itself. Focus on your task at hand._ ”

This night, before they would reach Frontier Town, it was decided to finally discuss what Heavy Warrior had mentioned since there had been no change in Goblin Slayer’s demeanor.

“I haven’t seen it myself, but while we were held there I would hear the slavers would mention something about seeing a black mark on Goblin Slayer’s body.”

“A black mark?” Dwarf Shaman frowned as he thought carefully about it. “ _That does sound like a curse mark, but where would he have gotten one?_ ”

“There were times during the Hell Games where his voice changed.” Female Knight recalled seeing this change in Goblin Slayer during his solo fight. “I don’t know how to properly explain it, but the voice…didn’t sound like Goblin Slayer. I noticed it the night he was forced to protect a goblin from the slavers.”

“Protect a goblin? Goblin Slayer?” Half-Demon Thief was indeed surprised to hear that part.

“A cruel game devised by Mistress. She had a blood contract form between a slave child and the goblin. Any harm that one endured the other would share in the pain.”

“So in order to save the girl…” High Elf Archer’s eyes were wide as she realized were this conversation was going.

“He had to protect the goblin, yes. Six slavers went about beating him and then…he killed them, most of them with his bare hands.”

“He was then going to kill the goblin, but thankfully stopped himself.” Female Knight frowned as she remembered the image of the young girl.

“So he saved the girl?” Priestess nervously held her staff in hopes of a happy resolution to this story.

“Mistress slit the girl’s throat, killing the goblin as well.”

“How barbaric! I am…sorry we took so long in finding you. Please forgive us.” Lizard Priest placed his hands together and bowed his head.

“Hey come on. You don’t have to…”

Before Heavy Warrior could finish they heard the sounds of approaching footsteps and everyone turned to see Goblin Slayer and Wolf carefully studying them all. There was concern that Goblin Slayer might have heard them and they were unsure of how he would react.

“Is…is everything alright Milord Goblin Slayer?”

“There are no signs of goblins, it is safe for the moment.” Goblin Slayer replied in his normal dispassionate voice before turning and once again walking away from the group.

The rest of the party was indeed unnerved by what they had seen, but they would wait until they were finally back in Frontier Town to address the situation with Goblin Slayer.

xxxx

“Welcome to the guild, how may I assist you today?”

Guild Girl still had to go about her work as normal, and in fact did welcome her time working with the customers and adventurers, for it took her mind off the well being of Goblin Slayer. Cow Girl was the same, doing her best to focus on doing her chores around the farm and playing with Snow, yet every night both girls cried at the thought of losing Goblin Slayer.

It was still early in the morning when Guild Girl saw Goblin Slayer party enter the guild hall, they had been gone for quite some time, but now she saw them…three adventurers finally reenter the guild hall. Spearman and the other adventurers were just as shocked to see Heavy Warrior and Female Knight return after such a long time away.

“Goblin Slayer?”

Goblin Slayer was silent as he looked around the guild, taking note of Guild Girl and the other patrons before finally nodding his head to acknowledge them. There was a sudden cheer from the guild as many of the adventurers came to congratulate Goblin Slayer and the others on their safe return. Off to the side, the rest of Heavy Warrior’s party rushed forward to hug and cry at the safe return of their party members. Heavy Warrior and Female Knight were so relieved to see their comrades they were able to easily forget the hell they were forced to endure, even if only for a short amount of time. Guild Girl, tears in her eyes rushed to thank the rest of Goblin Slayer’s party and their safe return and recovery of Goblin Slayer, but the moment she went to look for him found he was gone.

“Goblin Slayer?”

Many of the others heard her and they themselves looked around but could not find any sign of him or Wolf. Goblin Slayer’s party were quick to exit the guild hall and a quick look down the road showed them Goblin Slayer and Wolf walking away, already quite some distance from the guild.

“Goblin Slayer sir!”

“Orcbolg! Where are you going?”

Goblin Slayer was already too far away to properly respond as he and Wolf continued down the road, but from the direction they were heading appeared to be going to toward the farm.

“Goblin Slayer?” Guild Girl’s previous smile once again melting away to form a frown as she quickly turned her attention back towards his party. “Wha…what happened to him?”

“We’re still trying to figure that out ourselves but…without going into details, which I will not bring up, Beardcutter was basically put through hell.”

“Tomorrow. Tomorrow, we talk with Orcbolg and settle what’s wrong.”

Things were not better once he returned to the farm, Cow Girl and her uncle were surprised to see him return, but he merely nodded toward them before moving towards his work shed, barely petting Snow as she ran up to him.

“Uncle…that’s not him.” Cow Girl was used to having him say little in their conversations, but this was the first time he had not even mentioned he was home.

“I…I don’t know. Maybe he had to go through quite the ordeal while he was away. Perhaps if we give him a little bit of time.”

Her uncle was truly worried when he heard this boy had been captured by slavers, especially as retaliation for help the young dragon daughter and her mother. He was also concerned by this sudden behavior, but thought maybe after he had a chance to rest and recover, he’d be back to normal, or at least what he considered normal. Later as night fell, Cow Girl came back to work shed and was surprised to find the door locked as she pulled on the handle.

“Are you in there? Dinner’s ready.”

“Not hungry…thank you.”

Cow Girl was hurt to hear him refuse to eat, she had wanted to spend some time with him. Like the others in town, she was happy to have him back, but was saddened by his coldness. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she calmly walked back toward the house, gently petting both Wolf and Snow as they nuzzled up beside her.

“Thank you.” A small smile finally crossed her face as she continued to pet the two large dire wolves. “Maybe by tomorrow, he’ll be more talkative.”

Goblin Slayer struggle to keep himself on his feet, having to place a hand on the nearby wall to prevent him from falling over. He managed to find a nearby stool to sit himself down upon as he struggled to remove his armor, even when stripped naked by the slavers he had not been able to get a good look at how the curse mark was spreading. In the dim candlelight, Goblin Slayer let out a heavy sigh as he clearly saw his reflection. The curse mark had spread nearly covering his entire forearm, it covered much of the left side of his chest, his neck and now he could see the mark creeping up the side of his face. From the stab wound he had received he could feel a constant pulse and with it was a wave of pain that washed over him.

“ _It won’t be long now boy!_ ”

Goblin Slayer turned only to have a hand tightly grip his throat and slam him up against the wall. Goblin Slayer grunted as he gripped the arm with his right hand in hope of breaking free and looked up to see the black armored figure chuckle as he tightened his grip.

“You…Slayer.”

“ _You mean, you! Those slaves all chanted your name…Slayer! You punished those wicked humans like the filth they were. You could be this hero they all claim you to be, yet here you are constantly fighting me!_ ”

“Won’t…let you…use me…to hurt others.”

“ _Beloved stop this now!_ ”

Lich Queen suddenly appeared before him, tears in her eyes as she placed both hands upon his shoulders. Goblin Slayer was surprised by this, just a moment ago the other was standing there, but now it was the Lich Queen, yet he could still feel someone trying to strangle him. He slowly looked down and gasped when he realized the arm his was gripped was his own, it was his left hand that clutched at his throat. Lich Queen removed her hands and watched as Goblin Slayer released his grip of both hands and looked down at his left arm, slowly clenching and unclenching his left fist.

“ _Beloved, are you okay?_ ”

“For now. I gather the cruse is trying to kill much faster than before?”

“ _Yes…I am so sorry for all I’ve put you through. The things they did to you at the Hell Games, have acted as a catalyst for your turning into a wraith._ ”

“How long do I have?”

“ _Unknown Beloved. I…there may be a method to try, something I’ve been thinking of, but there is no guarantee that you would survive. And if you are lost, the wraith will take control._ ”

“I will have to tell the others, but…I am so tired.” Goblin Slayer found he could no longer keep his head up as he slumped to the ground.

“ _Please rest Beloved, this is the first time in quite a while that you managed to hear me. I will watch over you and protect you tonight._ ” Lich Queen dropped to her knees, and gently wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head against his.

The other, the Slayer, saw all of this and chuckled to himself as he watched Lich Queen desperately try to save this human. He decided to let her have this moment, it would only be a matter of time before he was in full control of this body and then…he would be free to slaughter all in his way.

At the same time this was happening, a nearby hamlet was unprepared for what would soon be hitting them. Two of the Faceless Men quietly went about their master’s work of releasing one of the creatures and recording its behavior. From outside the village, the three-armed and three-faced creature known as the Abomination rampaged through the houses, slashing at the poor unsuspecting farmers who foolishly used their tools to try and defend themselves.

“Very interesting, as master predicted this resurrected monster is quite resilient. It’s been cut and stabbed several times yet doesn’t seem to register the pain, though this may mean that it can’t know when to stop and retreat.” One of the Faceless Men watched as the beast roared before breaking into the small house to feed upon the people inside.

“Are we to destroy it once the test has been completed?”

“No, master said assuming it had not been killed in its attack, we were to leave it to roam free. I’m curious to see what those who do manage to slay it will say or think about its appearance.”

“And this is only one of the many that have been created. Truly master has succeeded in restoring life to the lifeless.”

“Indeed. We must report to master and see how the testing of the other subjects has gone.”

xxxx

“I’ll get these sent to Water Town immediately. The Sword Maiden will know what to do with them.”

The next morning came, and Guild Girl did not have the luxury of lamenting on the previous day’s actions concerning Goblin Slayer. Heavy Warrior and Female Knight graciously handed over the parchments to Guild Girl and Inspector who were quick to prepared for delivery. Guild Girl would make sure that Sword Maiden knew of Goblin Slayer’s recovery and also share in her concerns for his unusual behavior. She wanted to press the others for information as to what they had gone through but stopped herself as she felt she was not mentally prepared to hear about all the details.

Guild Girl looked over the new quests that had been received at the guild: goblins, trolls, demons, all the normal sort. She did linger on the quests pertaining to the goblins, with Goblin Slayer missing, the quests themselves had fallen into the hands of several rookie parties, though they were not always successful in their tasks.

“ _Now that he is back, will he go back to taking the goblin quests? Will he allow himself time to recover? No, I need to take a stand and insist that he rest from his ordeal._ ”

Guild Girl heard the sound of the door jingle and immediately looked up to see Goblin Slayer enter followed by Cow Girl and both dire wolves. There was a smile on her face, but it wasn’t her normal bright smile she had when seeing Goblin Slayer come in. Goblin Slayer paused to say something to Cow Girl before moving towards his normal table. Cow Girl was a bit surprised by this then proceeded to move to the front desk to speak with Guild Girl.

“Good morning, how are you today?” Guild Girl had a more cheerful smile as she spoke with her friend.

“I’m well thank you, just here to make my normal deliveries.” Cow Girl too smiled as she passed the paperwork toward Guild Girl.

“Thank you as always.” Guild Girl then used her quill to sign the paperwork but knew there was more to this and asked the first question. “How is he?”

“He’s…here, yet not if that makes sense. If you’re asking me that, it must mean that his behavior yesterday was also unusual for you too.”

“Yes. Ever since the start of this year, nothing has quite felt correct, especially concerning him. If I may, what did he say to you just now?”

“That’s the other odd thing, he said once we are done, he would like to speak with you and I concerning something important.”

Something important, that concerned them. At first they weren’t quite sure what he would say though the thought of him choosing one of them did cross their minds. Who would he pick, Cow Girl or Guild Girl? Or, would he admit to having feelings for someone else? The more they thought about it, the more they dreaded having their discussion with Goblin Slayer. With everything out of the way, the two girls proceeded to move toward the small table Goblin Slayer would normally be at, but now the rest of Goblin Slayer’s party had joined him while they were talking.

“Morning, we were just asking Orcbolg if he join us for some food in the tavern. We’d love if you were able to join us too.”

“Oh, um we normally would but…” Cow Girl wanted to make sure she and Guild Girl could have this conversation with Goblin Slayer without anu interruption.

“That will be fine. This conversation concerns all of you.”

The voice from Goblin Slayer caught them all by surprise, his party was unsure of what conversation he meant, but now both Cow Girl and Guild Girl were more nervous if he meant to include everyone in it. The group moved from the guild entrance to one of the large tables in the tavern, passing by Spearman, Heavy Warrior and several of the familiar faces the encountered on a daily basis, all eyes fell on Goblin Slayer, who was silent as he sat towards the end of table.

“I…am not good at this.” Goblin Slayer looked toward everyone and grunted knowing that what he would say would cause them all to worry. “However, this is something you need to know particularly if…things do not improve.”

The tension at the table was think, whatever thoughts Cow Girl and Guild Girl had earlier were gone, and now a sense of dread washed over them.

“Over these three months, I’ve…”

Suddenly the doors to the tavern were violently thrown open and in came several men, some having to carry others were wrapped in bloody bandages.

“We need healers! A horde of goblins attacked the mine! We barely escaped!”

Those who could help rushed to tend to the injured, while the rest went to check on the uninjured miners.

“ _Beloved, let this go. You need to tell them._ ”

“Where is this mine?”

Goblin Slayer’s party looked at his with wide eyes, here he was about to say something, possibly in regards to his actions and now a goblin slaying quest has come up.

“Beardcutter, you aren’t think of…”

“Even with all that’s I’ve gone through…I can’t let the goblins do as they wish.” Goblin Slayer stood from the table to properly face his party and bowed slightly towards them. “I would ask, that you assist me.”

“Like you have to ask us Orcbolg, of course this party is with you.”

The rest of Goblin Slayer’s party nodded their heads and quickly readied themselves for the sudden quest while Goblin Slayer lingered behind to speak with Cow Girl and Guild Girl.

“I’m sorry for this. I will return and then…I will share all details with you.”

“You better keep your promise on that, otherwise I’ll be mad if you don’t come back.” Cow Girl had a small smile as she pointed her finger at her friend.

“I second that remark Goblin Slayer. May you be successful on your quest.”

Goblin Slayer nodded before running off to join his party, also joined by both Wolf and Snow. Though the girls had smiles on their faces, they were both deeply worried about him going back to slaying goblins after his recent capture. What they could not have foreseen was the true horror that would befall them once the bloodlust took hold.

Goblin Slayer’s party reached the mine and proceeded with the extermination of the nest as they normally would, but something was different. As the battle grew longer and longer, they noticed that Goblin Slayer was gradually becoming more spontaneous in his attacks, even against a hobgoblin. Normally he would carefully scan the area, but now he seemed to be lashing out with sword and mace, slaughtering the goblins, it almost appeared that he reveled in the blood that stained his armor.

“ _Beloved, you must con….self….Bel….ear me?_ ”

The Lich Queen’s voice faded away once again as a sinister chuckling took over, this voice was loud and carried with it a sinister vibe.

“ _Good boy…slay the goblins…so much blood! Come on, rip and tear…rip and tear…RIP AND TEAR!!!_ ”

“That’s the last one Milord Goblin Slayer.” Lizard Priest gave a quick shake of his Dragontooth Blade to remove the goblin blood. “ _Such a large nest, is this due to our absence in slaying the little devil while we were searching for Milord Goblin Slayer._ ”

“It’s almost as big as the nest we saw the day we rescued Wolf.” Priestess looked at the goblin bodies around them, thankfully there were no captive women to worry about. “ _We must have gotten to this nest before they target any villages._ ”

“Goblin Slayer? You okay?” Half-Demon Thief was slightly worried as she looked at Goblin Slayer.

The others turned their attention toward Goblin Slayer, to see his breathing heavily as he stood over the bloody corpse of the Goblin Shaman. The thumping in his head was overwhelming, the scar on his left shoulder seemed to pulsate as if it was alive.

“ _You did well boy…no Slayer, but don’t you think there’s not enough?_ ”

“Not enough.”

The voice they heard was different, it was not the normal dispassionate voice they all knew, no, this voice was dripping with malice and sounded off, almost not human. Wolf and Snow looked toward the armored man and began to growl, their bodies tensed as the scent coming off him was different, something to be cautious of.

“What with you two?” High Elf Archer looked toward the two dire wolves then back toward Goblin Slayer

“Goblin Slayer?” Priestess cautiously approached her teacher to check on him.

“Not enough…I need more blood.”

“Goblin Slayer…sir?” Priestess reached out to place a hand on Goblin Slayer left shoulder.

Goblin Slayer suddenly turned and with the back of his left hand knocked Priestess down to the ground. The rest of the party looked on with wide eyes as Goblin Slayer loomed over Priestess with weapons in hand. The second Priestess hit the floor, she closed her eyes from the sudden pain, but as she opened them she was truly terrified to see the ominous figure tower over her sword in right hand and mace in his left.

“You…your blood will do.” Goblin Slayer raised his mace high as he prepared to strike the petrified Priestess.

His party members screamed for him to stop, but he could not hear them, just as he prepared to strike two voices suddenly cried out.

“ _Beloved stop you’ll kill that girl!_ ”

“ _Stop this now brother!_ ”

Goblin Slayer gasped as he dropped his weapons and stumbled backwards, placing his hands on either side of his head. The rest of the party rushed to the downed Priestess, to check on the terrified young girl, while also glaring at Goblin Slayer.

“What the hell were you think Beardcutter?”

“You were about to kill…wait…Orcbolg?”

Goblin Slayer dropped to his hands and knees, grunting as he placed his right hand upon his left shoulder. The party, Priestess included now that she had recovered, looked on with confusion as it appeared that Goblin Slayer was in pain.

“Gob…Goblin Slayer? Are you okay?” Half-Demon Thief cautiously approached her comrade.

“No…don’t approach.” Goblin Slayer normal voice could be heard once again. “I…don’t know…if I can control it.”

Goblin Slayer grunted as he slowly stood, using the wall of the cave to support his body as he slowly walked around his stunned party to exit the mine. Priestess was finally able to stand, the man who stood over her in that moment of fear was not her teacher, she looked back to the ground and went to retrieve his weapons.

“What the hell are you doing? Don’t touch those, you saw him?” High Elf Archer was worried that the weapons had somehow influenced Goblin Slayer.

“No, it’s not the weapons, they’re not cursed remember?” Half-Demon Thief recalled that none of the weaponry from the Lich’s castle had been cursed.

“You saw him, he stopped himself before he dropped his weapons, then he…he placed his hand on his left shoulder! The stab wound!” Priestess finally put it together when she saw him clutch at his shoulder.

Priestess was quick to gather his weapons and then the group calmly exited the mine to find Goblin Slayer sitting by a nearby tree still clutching at his left shoulder. The party slowly approached him, they kept their hands on their weapons though they hoped they would not have to use them.

“Goblin Slayer…are you…still you?” Priestess was cautious to see what he might do.

“For the moment, I am in control.” Goblin Slayer turned his head toward Priestess. “I am sorry…are you hurt?”

“More shocked than anything else?” Priestess gave him a weak smile.

“Beardcutter, enough with the secrets, you’ll put us in more danger if you do. Now, what is truly going on?”

“The stab wound…was cursed…tied to find a cure but found nothing. I don’t have long until the darkness consumes me and then…I’ll become a Wraith.”

xxxx

Three days later, an adventurer managed to deliver the package from Guild Girl to Water Town where the acolytes of the Supreme God received it and passed on the details to Sword Maiden.

“Oh thank goodness, he’s been found.” Sword Maiden breathed a sigh of relief as a small smile crossed her face.

One of her acolytes smiled as she saw the smile return to Sword maiden’s face. In her hands was a parcel she had received from the guild in Water Town.

“Yes my lady, we received this parchment from the Guild in Frontier Town. The silver-ranked adventurer and his colleagues have been recovered, along with a large group of freed slaves. Along with this parchment were documents recovered from the slave camp, the locations and identities of those who purchased and sold slaves.”

“Be sure that is sent to the King, we must make haste if we are to save as many of those poor souls as possible.”

“It shall be done my lady.”

“What of the other rescued slaves, are they also at Frontier Town?”

“According to the parchment, the others recovered from the Hell Games were taken to a village where they might be able to recover from their traumatic experience. It would seem that for the sake of the magical denizens of the village, its name and location will need to be kept secret.” The acolyte had a slight frown on her face as she read over that final part.

“ _Crossroads. It would have to be the one place that few know of, indeed it would be the ideal spot where those who have been tortured can hopefully return to some semblance of their normal lives._ ” Sword maiden knew full well of the village and her smile grew more. “Is there anything else?”

“There does seem to be some troubling news about the adventurer known as Goblin Slayer.” The young acolyte continued to frown as she looked over the last of the information.

“Trouble? He and the others have been rescued…so what trouble is there?” Sword Maiden’s smile vanished as she heard the news.

“It would seem that Goblin Slayer has been acting in an odd manner since his recovery. The letter says he did kill the one in charge of the slave camp…in a rather brutal fashion. Supposedly even chuckling in delight as his exploits.”

“Goblin Slayer…laughing at his exploits?” Sword Maiden was more confused by the statement than worried.

“That’s all it says my lady. I’m sure he is merely recovering from the mental strain that event placed upon him.”

“I’m…I’m sure you are correct. Thank you, you may go. Please make sure those documents about the slavers and slaves are sent to the king.” Sword Maiden nodded toward the attendant before calmly walking toward the shrine of the Supreme God. “ _He’s been rescued, yet why do I still feel so uneasy. Especially with the handout from the Supreme God and the final instruction…do what you must to save the world._ ”

Sword Maiden looked toward the stature of the Supreme God in hopes that she might be given some guidance as to this uneasy feeling she had. She soon heard the sounds of footsteps approaching and turned to see the silhouettes of four shadows approaching.

“Oh it’s you. Did you all decide to form a new party?” Sword Maiden’s frown was then replaced with a light smile.

Before her were Hero and her party members but joining them was Noble Fencer. The four young women bowed their heads toward Sword Maiden who in turned nodded toward them.

“A pleasure to see you again Sword Maiden. We had been on our way to see you when we ran into Noble Fencer and she agreed to bring us here. It thankfully made the trip go much faster.”

“While I would greatly enjoy joining the Hero’s party, I can make better use of my skills as a merchant to aid adventurers. That said, I brought them here as quickly as possible because of some troubling news about Goblin Slayer.”

“That’s correct, we heard from your warrior priests that Goblin Slayer had been abducted.” Hero’s smile vanished as she thought about him being tortured.

“Yes, he and two of his colleagues had been abducted by slavers. They had been there for nearly a month, but as of recent have been rescued.” Sword Maiden had a small smile on her face.

The others young women each let out a sigh of relief, for each of them there was a sense that they owed Goblin Slayer their lives for different reasons but were nonetheless happy to hear of his rescue.

“It appeared that the people who attacked him were seeking revenge and sold him off to some slave camp to participate in a blood sport.”

“Damn salvers, they should be hunted down for their crimes.” Female Swordmaster grew furious as she thought about these men taking in people to use for their own enjoyment.

“Thankfully, Goblin Slayer and his colleagues led a revolt to topple the slave master and were assisted by the arrival of his party members.”

“I see, it would make sense for the experienced adventurers to study the situation and look for an opportunity to counter.” Mage kept a neutral face as she nodded her head in approval.

“I’d expect no less from that odd man, he did come prepared to face the horde in the north even if they weren’t goblins.” Hero smiled as she thought about Goblin Slayer and in that moment a small blush crossed her face.

“The party was also wise in procuring the documents left behind by this Mistress of the Game. In them are the locations and names of the individuals who purchased and sold salves at this encampment, they will be sent to the king and these acolytes of evil and chaos will be dealt with very soon.” Sword Maiden though had a frown was present on her face as she said this.

“I see that something is still bothering you though, is it the fate of the salves not recused before Goblin Slayer’s revolt?” Noble Fencer could see the saddened expression on Sword Maiden’s face.

“Ah yes, I’m usually much better at managing my visible expressions, but there is something weighing heavily on my mind, but it is not the status of the salves, they will be taken care of by the King’s men.”

Hero and her party could see this and for Hero, she too could not help but carry the same uneasy feeling in her chest, she figured she had a good indication as to what was bothering Sword Maiden.

“It’s Goblin Slayer isn’t it? I take it you received a handout from the Supreme God as well?”

Sword Maiden turned toward the young woman, at first surprised that she could discern the truth so quickly, but soon smiled as she realized there was someone else she could share her frustrations with.

“Yes. I did as well. I take it your handout carried with it the same strange message?”

“Find Goblin Slayer and…do what you must to save the world.”

“Yes.” Sword Maiden, despite her blindfold, narrowed her gaze as she looked toward Hero. “Goblin Slayer…I’m told his behavior of late has been troubling. I don’t know if it is because of the torture they put him through, but I am worried for him and those around him.”

“Then…let us head for Frontier Town.” Hero smiled as she looked toward Sword Maiden. “It’s been too long since we got to speak with that man, and I’m curious to see what up to. This will also allow us to see how is holding up.”

“Agreed.” Sword Maiden then turned her attention to Noble Fencer and smiled. “Can I trouble you to take us to Frontier Town?”

“If it’s to help out the man who saved me, you don’t have to ask.” Noble Fencer smiled as she nodded her head toward Sword Maiden.


	54. Chapter 54

“Damn it Orcbolg, every time it’s something with you! Thinking you had been devoured by the horde, your coldness at the start of the year, your abduction by the slavers and now your dying of a curse!” High Elf Archer gritted her teeth as tears already began to gather in the corners of her eyes. “Why the hell did you not say anything before? Have you no faith in your friends?”

Goblin Slayer and his party had returned that night, the goblins had been dealt with, and Priestess had gone about informing the miners while Dwarf Shaman and High Elf Archer went to inform Cow Girl and Guild Girl of what had happened on the quest. Half-Dragon Mother made sure that her daughter was preoccupied playing with Wolf and Snow, she did not want her daughter to hear anything else that might upset her. In the same room Goblin Slayer had served as an advisor during a promotion exam, he met with everyone to finally tell them what they had been suspecting from the start of the year.

“I’m forced to agree with Long-Ears here Beardcutter. We’ve put our trust in you, yet you go and keep this from us for so long…just what in the world were you thinking?”

“I…I am sorry.”

“Goblin Slayer…just saying you’re sorry is not going to make this situation any better.” Guild Girl had a frown as she looked toward Goblin Slayer. “You have all these people to help you and…care about your well-being. You should have told us the moment you started suffering.”

“I did not want to make anyone worry, so I tried to find a solution myself.” Goblin Slayer grunted once again as he was forced to clutch at his left shoulder. “During the first month of travel alone, while dealing with the goblins, I sought out a possible cure for the curse. Healing spells and herbs did not prove successful. Instead I chose to try and fight the influence…though there were times I lost myself to the darkness within.”

“ _The darkness within…this is what Earth Mother was referring to. Does this mean, we were too late to help him?_ ” Priestess frowned as she clutched her sounding staff at the thought of failing her teacher.

Cow Girl had been silent this whole time, a frown present on her face as she held her eyes down, yet now she needed to act. She stood from her seat, drawing everyone’s attention as she calmly walked over toward Goblin Slayer. She paused in front of him before moving to undo the strap beneath his helmet.

“What are you doing?”

Cow Girl remained silent as she carefully removed his helmet and set it on the floor before looking at him. The others could see the black patches of skin that covered part of the left side of his face. Goblin Slayer was curious as to why she had removed his helmet and as he looked at her could see the frown upon her face. Cow Girl raised her right arm with a quick strike, slapped Goblin Slayer across the left side of his face. There was a look of shock from the others seeing her strike him, Goblin Slayer grunted from the initial pain, he himself slightly surprised by her actions, yet as he turned to look at her saw the tears running down her face.

“You may have the body of an adult, but your mind is still that of a child.” Cow Girl continued to cry as she leaned in to hug her friend. “You’ve been suffering with this for more than three months and you think that by keeping it to yourself, we won’t worry? You can be so stupid at times.”

Goblin Slayer was at a loss for what to do, not since seeing her refuse to leave the farm during the Goblin King’s invasion had she caught him off guard. Ever cautious, he slowly brought his right arm around her back and gently patted his friend. The others saw this and had small smiles as they stood to move toward Goblin Slayer.

“I…I don’t know how much time I still have. I would like your assistance.”

“You’re a damn stupid fool Beardcutter, but you are still our friend. We’ll do all we can.”

“Well said Sir Mage, but where to start, given how unpredictable the curse can be?”

“Let us get him to the Temple of the Earth Mother, hopefully Mother Superior can aid him.” Priestess put forward a weak smile but was internally worried. “ _I’m worried, I know she had not been trained in performing any high-level exorcisms, that is why we could not bring the knight to her._ ”

Goblin Slayer went about replacing his helmet when a sudden pain forced him to drop to his knee as he once again clutched at his left shoulder. The rest of his friends rushed to his side to help him yet paused as they heard a sinister chuckle echoing from within his helmet.

“Milord Goblin Slayer?”

“Fools.” Goblin Slayer continued his chuckle as he looked upward towards his party members with twin glowing eyes. “You cannot stop my destiny! I will have this body and then I will do what that foolish lich could not…I will slay all the mortal races, starting with everyone of you.”

Goblin Slayer grunted once again as he lowered his head, his breathing quite labored yet he stopped chuckling.

“Are you “you” again Goblin Slayer?” Half-Demon Thief reflexively placed a hand on her dagger to defend herself in necessary.

“For the moment…I cannot…predict when I will lose control.”

“That damn Lich and her curse, even in death she still torments us.” High Elf Archer found herself gritting her teeth as she tightly clenched her fist.

“The Lich…is trying to help…”

The rest of his party looked at him with a confused expression, as they heard him say this odd statement.

“What do you mean she’s trying to help, isn’t she the one who cursed you to begin with?” Guild Girl could not understand why Goblin Slayer would say something like that. “ _Perhaps an effect of the curse?_ ”

“At first, she wished for my death but now…she seems to have changed. In the mine…it was her who stopped me.”

“Milord Goblin Slayer, you’re telling us it was the Lich Queen who saved Priestess?”

“Yes…she claims it is the interactions with all of you…that made her recall her humanity, but her voice…is becoming harder to hear.”

“I’m not sure if I like the idea of this Lich Queen actually trying to help, it may be a trick.” Cow Girl was worried as she heard him defend the creature that cursed him.

“Regardless, our first step is to get him to the temple.”

The group got Goblin Slayer back to his feet, and exited the office, in hope of avoiding a scene. They did not have to worry about any of that, as the front desk was swarmed with people. Amidst the cries of the panicked villagers, Heavy Warrior and Spearman did their best to keep the people from pushing forward. Guild Girl and the others quickly took notices of this and rushed to aid in the situation while Cow Girl stayed with Goblin Slayer.

“Where have you been?” Inspector turned toward Guild Girl with a relieved look on her face.

“My apologies, I had wanted to check in with the group that had to deal with the sudden emergence of the goblins at the mine. What’s all this, we’re about to close for the evening?” Guild Girl joined her friend at the front desk.

“These people just rushed, screaming about something loose in the woods near the smaller villages.” Spearman commented as he spread his arms out in hopes of keeping the people from overrunning the guild.

“There’s something loose in the woods, something with three arms and three faces, it attacked out village, killed my family and nearly killed me.”

“Our neighbors were attacked by three of them, massive things, tore through the house as if it were a child’s plaything. These things were about the size of trolls but looked like goblins.”

“Goblins?” Goblin Slayer’s attention was immediately drawn to the mere mention of possible goblins sighted.

“No. You have your own things to deal with.” Cow Girl was stern in her reply took hold of Goblin Slayer’s shoulder and shook her head.

“We are getting ready to close for the night, is there any way you submit your quest requests in…” Guild Girl attempted to calm everyone down but was quickly cut off by roar of the crowd.

“You’re saying you should fend for ourselves?”

“Aren’t you adventurers? Aren’t you paid to protect us?”

“Enough!”

The shout came from Spearman who slammed the bottom of his spear along the floor with such force that the room instantly became silent.

“You lot seem to have the wrong idea, we don’t offer our for free nor are we obligated to help just because someone asks! You got some nerve barging in here demanding we save you without any form of compensation!”

There was a look of shock and confusion upon the faces of the villagers as they heard this from the adventurer, but a look around the room of the remaining adventurers just reaffirmed what he was saying.

“Under ordinary circumstances, we’d have you wait until morning to submit your requests.”

Everyone turned their attention to see a well-dressed man walk out of the back offices with a rather stern look about his face.

“Manager.” Both Guild Girl and Inspector were surprised to see him come out with such a look on his face.

“The guild will offer a bounty of ten gold coins to the adventurers who will go out.” The manager smiled toward Spearman and the others before turning his gaze back toward the frightened people. “I’ll expect you all to pay back the restitutions the guild is making on such short notice. I understand your fears, but there is no need to be acting in such an uncivilized manner.”

There was a grumble from many of the people, but others were relieved to hear that the adventurers would out on patrol looking for these monsters. Spearman, Heavy Warrior and other experienced warriors gladly took on the challenge to search for these supposed monsters loose around the countryside. Goblin Slayer’s party and friends too would investigate these odd claims, but they first helped get Goblin Slayer to the Temple of the Earth Mother. Mother Superior and the acolytes immediately took the young man and proceeded to remove his armor to examine the state of his curse, to their surprise they discovered that not only was it the left side of his neck and shoulder, but much of his chest and nearly his entire left arm were covered by these odd patches of black skin.

“This curse…I have never seen anything on this scale. What kind of man is he to endure this pain for more than three months?” Mother Superior was surprised by all she was seeing, but quickly turned toward Priestess with a frown. “Rest assured little one, we will do all we can to assist him.”

“Thank you Mother Superior.” Priestess smiled as she bowed her head toward head of the temple.

The rest of the party left the temple, still worried for their friend, but knew the best thing they could do was all those in the temple to work un interrupted. Cow Girl reluctantly returned to the farm with Wolf and Snow by her side, it was late and she would have a rough time getting ready in the morning, but would make it a point to check tomorrow at the temple to see how her friend was. The remainder of his party would undertake the quest assigned to them by the guild, perhaps these unusual monsters would have some connection to the Faceless Man who killed the slavers.

xxxx

“My loyal followers…our time approaches!”

Deep within the sewers, Necromancer stood before the few dozen Faceless Men who kneeled before their master.

“The few creations we have unleashed upon the countryside prove that our struggles were correct! We have brought life to the lifeless! Pushed past the limitations set by the gods and have created beings of superior strength and skill. Now…now we can continue our research on a grander scale!” necromancer reached within his robes to pull out a small vial of the green elixir, the glow radiating off it within his hands. “Each of you shall be given a vial to use when you feel you are ready to embrace the gift. Your transformation shall only be limited to your desire for truth and power! We are not mindless slaves but visionaries who refuse to settle for what we have been told and because we question the truth of the gods, we are labeled as crazed maniacs! I say…this is for the Miracle of Life!”

“For the Miracle of Life!” The Faceless Men bowed their heads in unison before raising them to once again view their master.

“We shall see the world unravel itself, from the small villages to the capital, all shall see the fruits of our labors! They themselves will come to be enlightened and in that moment…will become followers who shall see the truth with their own eyes! It is because of all your hard work and devotion that I am able to push this research to its limits!” Necromancer turned to the table near him and took the large black tome in his hands and raised it high over his head. “This is the proof of our research. This book contains the creation of the elixir, the accounts of our research and the records of our success! For the Miracle of Life!”

“For the Miracle of Life! For the Miracle of Life! For the Miracle of Life!”

Necromancer nodded to his followers as they continued to chant before exiting the room of worship and returning back to his labs. In the cages were various monsters, the goblins who survived the transformation became his hulking Brutes. The bodies of the dead were sown back together, pieces of the various races used for their different attributes, these Abominations were nearly as large as the Brutes but far more agile. The Elixir affected the others in different ways, regardless of their race, Necromancer smiled at the sight of his lovely creations.

“ _My giant spiders, though they only possess six limbs, they are still capable of creating webs to trap their prey. Every female subject is turned into wing demons with a terrifying shriek, my Banshees. Males are affected much differently, becoming spiders, werewolves, gargoyle-like creatures and mindless walkers. Even children will become monstrous little imps._ ”

“Welcome Master”

Within his lab Necromancer could see some of his most trusted Faceless Men continuing their studies of the creations. Necromancer carefully looked over their notes and smiled at the results of the experiments.

“These are promising results indeed, we will need to add them to the Black Tome.” Necromancer chuckled to himself as he thumbed through the pages. “The wolves show such muscle growth that their fur it torn off their bodies, their ears become hard like horns and they can breathe fire, how wonderful my Hellhounds. What of the giant rats and roaches?”

“The rats have the appearance of wolves master, they roam the sewer in packs, much faster than they were before. The roaches have also changed, after their molt, their bodies are leaner making them far more mobile than before and the armor that covers their bodies are hard enough to pierce through stone.”

“Fantastic.” Necromancer set the papers down and turned his attention back to his followers. “Did you find him?”

“Yes Master, we made sure to deal with the guards, by the morning it will appear that he simply escaped his cell.”

From within the shadows, two more Faceless Men walked forward with a middle-aged man with black hair down to his shoulders in tow. This man had shackles around his wrists, a scar across his right eye and a scowl as he looked around the lab then focused his attention on the Necromancer.

“I welcome you, most esteemed Highway Man.” Necromancer bowed his head toward the prisoner before him. “Over the last 20 years of your life, you’ve been accused of the murders of more than 300 people. You kill and steal from anyone and everyone who was unlucky enough to cross your path. Have I missed anything?”

“The 300 are the people are the ones the King knows about; the number should be closer to about 1,000.” Highway Man smirked as he looked toward the Necromancer then examined the shackles that held him captive. “You were wise to have your men keep me bound, otherwise I’d kill them too.”

“Oh my, how rude of us. Release him at once.”

The Faceless Men nodded their heads and went to work removing the shackles around his wrists.

“If you had your people bring me here, I assume you’re one of those people who wish to kill me personally?” Highway Man carefully rubbed the areas around his wrists where the shackles had been.

“Oh heavens no, I sought you out because I wish to ask for your assistance in an experiment.”

“Experiment?” Highway Man was surprised to hear this, even more surprised as one of the Faceless Men stepped forward with his clothing and weapons retrieved from the dungeon. “These are…where did you get these?”

“Master instructed that we fetch your belongings as we liberated you.”

Highway Man, proceeded to tear off the rags he was provided while in the dungeon and changed back to his usual attire. The clothing was simple: blue trousers, a dirty, white hempen shirt, black boots, and a brown leather waistcoat with a belt wrapped around his midsection. Tucked away along his belt and inside his waist coat were his knives he would use to slaughter the unsuspecting victims.

“Feels good to be back in more comfortable clothing. Now what did you mean by experiments?”

“I am researching the Miracle of Life and have tested it on many subjects as you can see.” Necromancer as he motioned creatures around him. “Wonderful aren’t they?”

“These things? They were once human weren’t they?” Highway Man was in shock at the sight of the various monstrosities.

“Human, elf, rhea, goblin…it doesn’t matter now, they have become far stronger than they would have if they were to remain in their prior state.”

“And, you want to turn me into one of these things? You crazy bastard, I should kill you now.”

“You could, my followers would use the elixir on my remains to restore me, so I have no need to stop you. I only wish to give you more power than your current self.” Necromancer smiled as he began to circle around the Highway Man. “How many more people do you think you’ll be able to kill given your current body…100, maybe less. With no armor, what’s to stop an adventurer from eventually piercing your body? I know you, you kill because you enjoy the sight of blood, the thrill of hunting your victims down. I am merely offering you a stronger body, but it will only work if you want it to! Only if your desire for power is strong enough to survive the effects of the elixir! So again I ask…will you aid me in my research?”

Necromancer held out the vial of the green liquid in his right hand, a sinister smile on his face as he looked toward Highway Man. Highway Man was obviously wary of this man, he could sense that thins individual was like him in many ways, yet the enticing thought of more power was quite alluring.

“What the hell…I was going to die either way, so what have I got to lose?” Highway Man smiled as he took the vial in his hand, the power within it seem to reverberate in his hands. “Let’s see just how much stronger I can become?”

Highway Man removed the cork cover from the top of the vial and downed the contents in one gulp. The liquid itself was bitter and with it completely empty he threw the glass vial aside with a satisfying shattering sound. In mere moments he could feel a burning sensation coursing through his body, he clutched at his sides and bellowed in agony while Necromancer looked on with a wide smile. Highway Man could feel his body changing, his feet expanding that the tore through his boots, his limbs painfully grew longer, his muscles began to bulge, his face extended and teeth growing into jagged fangs. Necromancer panned his eyes upward as the Highway Man grew in stature, his hands nearly reaching down to his knees, his once human eyes now replaced with pupil-less tapetum, his own smile overshadowed by the vicious grin of the monstrous being before him.

“How do you feel?” Necromancer smiled as he approached the monstrous Highway Man.

“Hungry.”

Highway Man reached out with his giant hands to grasp one of the Faceless Men and brought him toward his mouth, with his jaws open wide he bit down on the Faceless Man and tore away the head and began to chew loudly, he continued to devour the body while the others looked on, none of them yelling or trying to stop him. Once down, Highway Man looked down at his bloody hands then turned his attention back to Necromancer.

“Should I eat you next?”

“You are free to do whatever you wish. I am happy to see that your personality has not been changed since you drank the elixir. But what about your weapons?”

Highway Man, nearly three meters tall, looked down towards his weapons, his normal knives were now nothing but children’s toys in his hands, only his larger daggers seemed appropriate for him. Much of his clothing had been ripped as he transformed before these people.

“Many of them are useless now?” Highway man’s smile turned toward a frown as he threw the smaller blades aside.

“Not to worry, we shall shape swords to match your lost knives and attend to your torn garments. All I ask is that you continue to kill and push your body to its limits.”

Highway Man, even though he knew he had transformed into a monster, was slightly unnerved by this human before him, yet knew he would be able to continue his legacy of violence unimpeded if he served this man.

“Very well Master, give me the appropriate tools and I shall kill for you!”

xxxx

“How are you doing my lady?” Noble Fencer could see the frown upon Sword Maiden’s face.

It was two carriages that traveled along the roads at night, in one was Sword Maiden, the Hero’s party and Noble Fencer. In the second carriage were the attendants who would accompany Sword Maiden on her various tasks.

“I am worried for the adventurer in Frontier Town…Goblin Slayer. The recent events are quite troubling as well as the reports of his odd behaviors.”

“To have endured nearly a month of torture would be difficult for any person. I’m sure that once we’ve seen him, all of our worries will be taken care of.” Hero smiled outwardly but was still worried about the handout received by the Supreme God.

“What worries me is the odd sightings of these men in plague masks and black robes collecting bodies from battlefields and graveyards.” Female Swordmaster had her arms crossed as she pondered what these men could be thinking while she rode along in the carriage.

“Perhaps they are seeking some way of reviving the Demon Lord…though I believed that living sacrifices were needed.” Sage kept a neutral face as calmly gave her response to her friend’s question.

“Once we have clarified the meaning behind the message from the Supreme God, we can focus on the task of these odd men and who they serve.” Sword Maiden calmly exhaled and she hoped they would get to Frontier Town as quickly as possible when a new sensation moved through her. “Stop the carriage!”

The driver quickly pulled on the reins to bring the carriage to an abrupt halt, the second carriage behind them reacted quickly to do the same and avoid crashing into the first. The moment the carriage stopped Sword Maiden quickly opened the door and stepped outside, her attendants in the other carriage curious as to her actions. Hero and the rest of her party disembarked with weapons ready and stood beside Sword Maiden, Noble Fencer remained by the carriage with sword in hand to defend the driver.

“Sword Maiden…what is it?” Hero held her sword tight as she looked out in the forest, though at night it was hard to make out any discernable shapes.

Sword Maiden focused her eyes on the forest, though her eyes were covered, the gods above had bestowed upon her the ability to see the forms of the various entities and objects around her. She could sense the murderous intent emanating from the whatever was in the forest and little by little she could discern their shape. It was a massive beast walking on all fours, it reminded her of the two large dire wolves Goblin Slayer had in his possession, yet this one was far more vicious. Then she noticed that there were two more of these creatures nearby, the three beasts stared directly at her and the others, drool dripping from their mouths.

“There are three of them, near the trees…I do not know what type of creatures they are, but they seek to devour us.” Sword Maiden raised her sword and scales then slammed the base of it along the ground. “By the will of the Supreme God, Holiest of all, bathe this land in your radiant glow…Holy Light!”

A bright, white light shown from atop her staff, all directed towards the woods near them: Hero and her party temporarily winced their eyes from the sudden light then gasped when the caught sight of the monstrous beasts. The three creatures were red in color, with large green eyes, they snarled at the party before charging forth on all fours.

“What manner of creature are these?” Female Sword Master raised her sword to face the unknown monster.

“We can investigate after they have been dealt with! Protect Sword Maiden!” Hero gave the yell before she charged forward to attack.

“Wind from the north, bring the chill of the ice and immobilize my enemy…Freeze!”

Sage pointed her staff toward the approaching creature and a strong gale collided with the monster freezing two of its legs. The beast dropped to the ground and roared towards the girl, before turning its attention to its frozen limbs. The opened its mouth and spewed forth flames which melted the ice, unaware that in doing so it would destroy its legs. Even with two legs missing, the monster thrashed about trying to move closer towards Sage. Female Sword Master and Hero struck at the monsters with their sword, surprised by how durable their flesh was, even as they were able to cut the creature and see the blood flow from their wounds, the creatures continued to battle them. It took several more strikes before both monsters were finally brought down. Sage had then cast Lightning, the bolt of lightning struck the creature finally killing it as steam wafted off its body.

“By the gods, what kind of monsters are these, they’re far tougher than most of the creature’s we’ve come across.” Female Sword Master wiped the sweat from her brow before putting her sword away.

“Indeed. Bring a torch.” Hero knelt down to examine the creature.

Noble Fencer brought forth a torch, joined by Sword Maiden and the rest of Hero’s party, and they carefully looked over the body of the creature. To their surprise, they quickly realized the red coloring was due to this beast having no skin on its body but being nothing but visible muscle.

“What is this thing? It has no skin, the muscles are so thick it can withstand multiple sword strikes, and can breathe fire.” Hero was confused by the sight of this monster.

“Look carefully at its face, notice the shape of the jaws?” Sage carefully took hold of the head and turned it from side to side.

“It looks like the wolf but…what kind of wolf grows this big?” Female Sword Master shook her head at the sight of this thing.

“Dire Wolves can get this large as we’ve all seen, but I’ve never heard of a dire wolf taking on this type of appearance.” Sword Maiden had a frown as she though about these things were tracking the carriage. “ _Even a wolf is not so bold to attack such a large object…they stalk their prey and attack when the opportunity is right? These ones were had every intention of attacking!_ ”

“We should get back on the road, we don’t know if there are any more of these things around.” Hero tightened her grip on her sword as she carefully looked over the area.

The party got back into the carriage and once again started on their way towards Frontier Town, unaware that two more of the monsters had arrived, snarling as the carriages moved on, then went to feed on the corpses of their fallen brothers.

xxxx

“What in the hell did you bring back?” Half-Demon Thief looked down at the misshapen body before with utter disgust.

Five days had passed since Goblin Slayer’s party had taken him to the Temple of the Earth Mother, and at the same time also under took the emergency quest to seek out the odd monsters that had been attacked the smaller hamlets around the countryside. They along with other parties had been out looking for any clues, but they themselves had found nothing, but their colleagues came back this morning with something large draped with a cloth atop a cart.

With the cloth removed, the adventurers and guild employees were finally able to see massive corpse, more than two meters, the body itself seemed to be that of a lizardman, but the rest of it was completely foreign to them. The head atop the shoulders was that of a male elf, yet there on its chest were two more heads a dwarf and a human, there were two arms attached to its right side, each capable of grabbing and holding something, yet on the left side was a single arm, yet a disgusting hook made of bone was attached where the left hand would have been. Much of the body appeared to have been sown together as horrid stitches covered much of its torso and arms.

“This damn thing stormed out of the woods to attack us, took the big guy and I several attacked to finally bring it down.” Spearman angrily sighed as he looked at the beast.

“We slashed and stabbed at it so many times, it seemed like it could not feel any pain from our attacks, but eventually toppled over.” Heavy Warrior too was disgusted by the sight of it.

“When we….found it…it was eating…the body…of a child.” Witch had a frown on her face as she looked at the beats then turned her attention towards Female Knight. “I am thankful…you were able…to help us. Though…I thought…you and he…would be resting.”

“I got enough rest on the trip back from the Hell Games. I can’t let what happened hamper my goal of becoming a paladin.” Female Knight smiled towards her friend then frowned as she looked back at the body. “I could smell something off in the area…this thing had the stench of death on it.”

The others knew to keep any mention of her werewolf curse secret from Spearman and the others, for now their focus was placed on the mangled body before them.

“How horrid, to have a fellow lizardman used in such a manner is truly troubling.”

“What the hell causes this…this thing to come into being. It has three heads, each a different race and a body that itself is also different. Is this a cursed body?” Half-Demon Thief was at a loss for how this abomination was created.

“I don’t think it was a curse, these faces and limbs have been stitched to the body…someone who knows about medicine would have to find a way to attached everything correctly.” Dwarf Shaman carefully moved the heads to examine the stitching.

“Then assuming it was a corpse before all this was done to it, how the hell would it be able to get back up and move around and are there any more of these things?” Spearman motioned with his hands at the body.

“I couldn’t say lad, but we now know what to be looking for and as you said…how many more of these things are loose?”

The adventurers were left there with an unusual body, reports of other monster sightings, and a mystery of how this monster was created. Just then both Guild Girl and Cow Girl came in accompanied by the dire wolves and the half-dragons.

“We’re going to the temple.” Cow Girl had a frown on her face as she looked toward the rest of his party.

Cow Girl had gone just about everyday in hopes of that the day she arrived would be the day she would get the good news that the curse had been lifted, yet everyday the acolytes told her there had been no change and it would be best for her not to see him.

“We’ll be going with you.” Priestess gave them a quick nod before gathering her supplies to join them.

The rest of his party joined the others, and the large group slowly left the guild hall and traveled toward the temple, unaware that as they were leaving two large carriages were entering into the town. Priestess entered into the temple and bowed her head towards her fellow acolytes and anxiously looked around for Mother Superior.

“Mother Superior!” Priestess happily called out with a wave.

Mother Superior turned and gave her young acolyte a small smile, but that soon frowned as she saw the others with her.

“I am afraid to tell you that, despite our best efforts, we have not be able to remove the curse from your friend. It…it almost seems that in every attempt we made, something was fighting us, doing all it could to prevent itself from being removed, much to the pain of the adventurer.”

The news itself was heartbreaking to Goblin Slayer’s party and his friends, for Half-Dragon Daughter she was on the verge of bawling. Her mama and papa carefully explained to her what her brother was going through and she hoped that after this treatment he would recover, but now that did not seem to be the case.

“Damn that Lich Queen.” High Elf Archer angrily clenched her fists.

“Lich Queen…is that the one who cursed your friend?” Mother Superior was surprised by this comment.

“Yes, does that mean something?” Priestess was hopeful that this news might mean something useful in helping Goblin Slayer.

“Well I thought it odd at first, but during many of our attempts at using Heal and Purify, we heard a female voice call out to us, but it was not the one attacking him, it carried a melancholy tone to it.”

“What…what did this voice say?” Cow Girl was surprised to hear this from Mother Superior.

“The voice would say…Be Strong Beloved…Please Save Him.” Mother Superior had a small frown on her face as she said this.

The others were surprised by what they were told, it seemed as if Goblin Slayer was correct in his assumption of the Lich Queen trying to aid him, though there was still the speculation that this was a trick on her part.

“Mother Superior, may we see him?”

“I have him in the isolation chamber as to avoid disturbing the others who are injured.”

The large group calmly traveled down the hall ways of the temple and eventually came to the room called the isolation chamber. With the heavy door opened, in the brightly lit room, thanks to the large windows, they found Goblin Slayer once again in his usual armor sitting on the bed, clutching at his shoulder.

“Goblin Slayer?” Priestess was cautious as she looked at her teacher with unsure eyes.

“They have…been unsuccessful…in removing the curse.”

For the moment he was still himself as the party and his friends entered the room to talk with him. Though they tried to put on a brave face for their friend, they all knew his time was running short.

“You can’t lose hope yet Beardcutter, we’ll get this figured out.”

“The dwarf’s right, besides, if you’re not here to slay the goblins, then who will. I’m certainly not about to start covering myself in goblin entrails to hide my scent.”

There was a brief chuckle for many of the people there, but it died down just as quickly as it began.

“If…if I am to turn…into this wraith…you must be prepared…to stop me.”

The cold tone from Goblin Slayer was like a punch to the gut as he essentially asked them to kill him, if no solution could present itself. For many it was a look of disbelief, for other like Cow Girl, Guild Girl and Half-Dragon daughter they had to turn their heads away to avoid crying in front of him.

“Mi, Milord Goblin Slayer, surely there is no need to go that far.”

“I…will not be able to stop myself, if I am consumed by the curse.”

“That is why we are here.”

It was a young voice drew everyone’s attention toward the doorway, Hero and her party entered into the chamber followed by Sword Maiden and Noble Fencer. Though some of them were happy to see their fellow colleagues, there was still the surprise of having them appear so suddenly.

“The Hero and the Sword Maiden, what brings you all here?” Guild Girl, still surprised by their presence, bowed her head towards them.

“Prior to coming, we too had been helping in the recovery of Goblin Slayer as directed by Supreme God.” Sword Maiden frowned as she looked upon Goblin Slayer.

“You received a handout as well?”

“Yes, the Supreme God gave the Sword Maiden and myself the same message, to find Goblin Slayer and do what we must to save the world.” Hero looked uneasy as she glanced over toward Goblin Slayer. “You say that you were cursed by the Lich Queen and will become a wraith?”

“That…is what I…have been told.”

“A wraith is a difficult opponent to deal with, it possess all the knowledge and skill of its host in addition to the power the entity bring with it. They are also nearly immortal, meaning if you lose control…there may not be a way to stop you.” Hero had a poignant expression on her face as she took hold of the grip of her sword for, she knew what the Supreme God had intended for her. “If we are to save the world and prevent your transformation, it may be in our best interest to put you out of your misery now while you are still human.”

**Author’s Note: Sorry this one took a little bit to come out, had a bout of writer’s block trying to get this chapter going. For a couple of you I’ve spoken to, I had ideas for my next big stories going through my head and was busy writing them down. The next chapter will have our heroes attempt one final solution that may save Goblin Slayer but, in this process, they will have to come face to face with Slayer. While this is going on, the gods being the beings they are, will not let this chance go by. And at the same time, Necromancer is drawing ever closer to unleashing his horde upon the capital.**


	55. Chapter 55

Once again, the gods looked toward the board, there was a mixture of unease and anxiousness for many, but the dark gods looked toward the board and saw opportunity. The current Hero and the legendary Sword Maiden were on their way to deal with the cursed warrior in Frontier Town and back in the capital, the Necromancer drew closer toward implementing his plan against the people.

“ _The cursed heroes should be reaching Frontier Town within a day._ ” The God of Evil growled in frustration as he stared at the board.

“ _How fortuitus for us, two heroes in the same location, I could not have asked for better if I had been the one to do this._ ” The Goddess of Chance chuckled as the wheels in her head.

“ _What in the depths of your stupidity are you spouting now?_ ” The God of Evil directed his glare toward the Goddess of Chance.

“ _I only wish to speak with those who have a calm head on their shoulders._ ” Chance irritated at Evil’s response turned her attention toward Chaos. “ _How about it Chaos, you interested in making this point of the game more interesting?_ ”

“ _What do you propose?_ ” Chaos looked toward her with a raised eyebrow.

“ _Just something to liven the game up a bit, perhaps another obstacle these adventurers must overcome._ ” Chance looked at the token what now had more black coloring on its body and smiled. “ _If I recall correctly that contaminated token is Goblin Slayer yes?_ ”

“ _That’s correct. What did you have in mind?_ ”

“ _Abundance?_ ” Chance turned her attention to the monstrous god and put on her best smile. “ _Would you be so kind as to give us a horde of goblins?_ ”

Abundance was silent as he placed a hand upon his chin while thinking about the situation, then looked back toward the board and smiled.

“ _I can create a horde for you._ ”

The dark gods with their plan set approached the board where Truth, Illusion and the others were still eagerly watching would happen in the game.

“ _The stakes are quite high given the current predicaments._ ” Evil had a smirk on his face as he looked over the board.

“ _What of it?_ ” Truth glared towards Evil.

“ _Wouldn’t it be more interesting if there were another task for our tokens to encounter?_ ”

“ _Just what are you up to, we all know full well that intelligence is not one of your strong points._ ”

“ _Truth, you wound me, you only take out your frustrations because there is the strong possibility that the token you secretly despise may become something far worse._ ” Evil did his best to hide is contempt for his fellow god.

“ _All we propose, is a minor obstacle for the party to deal with. It will be completely up to the roll with what they decide to do._ ” Chance stepped forward with a handful of token in her hand.

“ _Just what are you all up to?_ ” Illusion frowned as she looked over the dark gods.

“ _A minor threat close by…let us see what these little adventurers will decide for themselves._ ” Chance continued to smirk as she held out the tokens for the others to see.

“ _Are those…goblins?_ ” Earth Mother frowned as she eyed the gods suspiciously.

“ _As you know, we can’t directly influence the mortals, we’ll just have them nearby and see what they decide to do? I chose goblins due to the one affected…it does seem appropriate does it not Truth?_ ” Chance smiled toward Truth for she knew he disdain for the armored adventurer.

“ _I have no qualms with this decision._ ” Truth turned his attention back toward the board.

“ _Then let us have the goblins attack…here!_ ” Chaos pointed to a spot directly on the board within easy travel from Frontier Town.

The others gods looked at the spot he pointed to and many gasped at the suggestion while others smiled in approval.

“ _The site where much of this first began for the adventurers._ ” Chaos sneered as Chance set the goblins down to assault the village.

“ _Will they wipe it out in one go?_ ” Truth now arched an eyebrow at the new game pieces on the game.

“ _Oh no, that’s be far too easy, they attack tonight and prepare for a final assault the next evening!_ ” Chaos chuckled then turned his attention toward Illusion. “ _Now my dear, roll the die and let us see how this unforeseen encounter plays out._ ”

Illusion still frowned at the thought of the dark gods getting so much enjoyment out of their simple suggestion but relented in her decision and threw the dice down.

xxxx

Lizard Priest stood at the center with his dragontooth blade in hand, to his right was Dwarf Shaman with a hand ax at the ready and Half-Demon Thief with both daggers drawn. To his left were High Elf Archer with bow and arrow drawn and Priestess with sounding staff ready to cast Protection. There enemies in front were Hero and her party members who also stood ready with weapons drawn. Behind Lizard Priest and the others were Half-Dragon Mother and the two dire wolves growling as they prepared to fight and further behind them were Cow Girl, Guild Girl and Half-Dragon Daughter nervously standing before Goblin Slayer who still sat upon the bed. Behind Hero and her party were Sword Maiden and Noble Fencer surprised by the sudden actions taken by both parties in this small room.

“I don’t care that you’ve already saved the world several times, nor do I care that we fought side by side before…if you even attempt to kill Orcbolg I will put an arrow through you before you can use your first magic spell.”

“Beardcutter is our friend and comrade, no matter how much we’re cursed by the gods we’ll stand ready to defend him.”

“Did you not hear the Hero, this is a message from the Supreme God, a task that is needed to save the world!” Female Swordmaster was growing impatient with their constant defiance.

“And my handout was from the Earth Mother to find and save him, I shall stand by what she has told me and will protect my teacher!”

“Your selfishness knows no bounds; we have been charged with saving the world and you want to risk that for one person?” Sage frowned as she had her staff pointed towards the group.

“You’re damn right we’d let the world fall to save this one person.” Half-Demon Thief tightened her grip around her weapons.

“If you are truly the famed Hero, surely you know the value in protecting your comrades.” Cow Girl thought nervous in this situation would not step back from protecting her friend. “I know of what happened in the north with the Lich, you all know that he has aided in saving the world! Don’t take him from us!”

“This human has helped saved me and my daughter from salvers and aided in destroying their encampment and blood sport in the desert, he does not deserve to be slain like a dying animal.” Half-Dragon Mother was adamant in her plea to spare Goblin Slayer.

“Enough!” Hero glared at the group still not lowering her sword. “Do you really think this is an easy decision for me? That man has saved me twice now, but I have to think about more than just one person. I’m the hero of this world, I have to protect it!”

“You’re no hero, you’re just a monster looking to take my brother from me!” Half-Dragon Daughter screamed at the human with tears present in her eyes.

The sudden response caught Hero and her party completely off guard, never before had they been accused of being villainous, and by one so young who knew full well what was happening to the human she called her brother.

“W,wait…”

It was a weakened voice that called out to everyone, they all turned to see Goblin Slayer struggle to get himself off the bed and on his feet.

“Your sword…will it really be able…to stop the wraith?”

“Y, yes.” Hero was slightly surprised by the remark, but then steadied herself should he become a wraith and attack.

Goblin Slayer calmly walked past the others, despite their shocked expressions until he stood before the trio of heroes, not a single weapon in his hand.

“Then…do it.”

Goblin Slayer’s response took the wind out of everyone as they saw him stand there almost defiantly challenging them to come and kill him. Sword Maiden and Noble Fencer were also shocked to hear this come from the armored man.

“Goblin Slayer, you can’t…” Cow Girl was quick to try and stop her friend but was cut off as he spoke.

“If the curse consumes me…I will not be able to stop myself…and this body will hurt those I wish to protect.”

“Milord Goblin Slayer, we’ll find a way to aid you, just…just be patient.”

“My fault…took too long to tell you…have to be ready to do what must be done.”

“Big Brother no!” Half-Dragon Daughter rushed forward to hug her brother tears in her eyes. “I don’t want to lose you! I know you’re a good person, you won’t let that evil beat you!”

Goblin Slayer turned to look toward his little sister, everyone save the dire wolves, looked as though they might start crying after hearing the little girl’s pleas. Even the Hero and her party’s faces began to soften as the heard the little girl, the group lowered their weapons as they looked on to see Goblin Slayer gently reach out to pat the girl on the head.

“I’m sorry…I haven’t been the best brother…but this is something that must be done.”

Goblin Slayer turned his attention back towards the Hero’s party only to see the group put their weapons away.

“I can’t…even if it was handout from the Supreme God, I can’t bring myself to kill you.” Hero looked toward the armored man with eyes of concern. “ _I wanted to be someone worthy of him and that was my first instinct was to slay him. I should be ashamed of myself._ ”

“I’ve seen enough to know that you are not corrupted by the evil.” Sword Maiden walked past the party of adventurers to carefully examine Goblin Slayer. “Though slaying you would definitely stop the curse, that should be only used as a final option. I’m not ready to give up that easily, now…let us see what we can do.”

For the moment the tension had eased up and Sword Maiden went to work carefully looking over the curse that surged through Goblin Slayer. From what she could see Goblin Slayer’s own shadowy vision was smaller and was being swallowed up by darker blob of darkness.

“You say the Lich Queen was the one who cursed you and yet she is somehow trying to help you?” Sword Maiden was a bit upset, and somewhat jealous, to know that one of Goblin Slayer’s enemies had cursed him and was now trying to aid him.

“That is what I know so far.”

“Hmm…then perhaps it is best if we have a chat with her ourselves.”

The adventurers and the others in the room were stunned by Sword Maiden’s words, it had never even entered the minds to try and speak with Lich Queen.

“What do you mean communicate with her?” High Elf Archer was surprised by the sudden suggestion.

“Sword Maiden, are you capable of such a feat?” Priestess was also surprised by what Sword Maiden had suggested.

“As an Archbishop, there is much that I am capable of little one.” Sword Maiden had a smile on her face as she looked toward the group. “Since we are in the temple of the Earth Mother, is there a chamber of worship with water blessed by your deity?”

“There is, please follow me.”

Inside the large chamber was the statue of Earth Mother and around her was a pool of water as the essences filled the room. Cow Girl and Guild Girl helped support Goblin Slayer as they all filled the room and Sword Maiden with sword and scales in hand began her incantation.

“You who are no longer among us, allow your voice and presence to be felt once again to guide us who are in need of your wisdom…Commune.”

Sword Maiden tapped the bottom of her sword along the floor and a bright light began to glow from within the pool of water.

“I wish to speak with the Lich Queen.”

From within the water, an unusual vapor began to float upward and slowly this vapor began to take shape, after a few moments the vapor took on the form of the Lich Queen in her human guise.

“I am not accustomed to speaking with you directly, in fact there are many among you that I still hold some animosity towards, but now is not the time for that. I am obligated to answer three questions.”

“That’s the Lich Queen alright, or at least the form she took to try and seduce Beardcutter.”

“My first question, why did you do this to Goblin Slayer?”

“In the beginning, it was to curse Beloved as retribution for having been defeated.” Lich Queen had a sad expression on her face as she said all of this. “In him…I saw my past Beloved and selfishly I wanted him to join me, his body would then become the wraith that would slay the mortals for me.”

“ _Be, Beloved? Why is she calling him by that name?_ ” Guild Girl was immediately on guard as she heard the Lich Queen refer to Goblin Slayer in such a familiar manner.

“My next question, if you are the one who cursed him, why are you now trying to save him?” Sword Maiden too was upset by how the Lich Queen referred to Goblin Slayer.

“Regret. As I said I was selfish in wanting to keep his soul for myself, but as time passed, I came to regret what I had done to Beloved. I truly love him and wanted to make sure he could be saved from the curse.”

“But now he’s come close to truly becoming the wraith you wanted in the first place. That’s love! That’s…I don’t even know what that is!” Cow Girl was angry at the creature and all she had done to her friend.

“My final question, if we save Goblin Slayer, what will become of you?”

“If you are able to remove the curse, my soul shall fade from existence and I will undoubtedly return to Hell for all that I have done…but if you can save Beloved, then I have no regrets with that decision. Before I fade away please hear this final request…save beloved where I was not able to.”

The vision of the Lich Queen faded, leaving the group of adventurers surprised by what they heard. It seemed like Goblin Slayer was correct in his assumption of the Lich Queen wanting to help him, but now came the question of how they could help him.

“What can we do to help Goblin Slayer? Mother Superior and the other acolytes have tried to undo the curse for nearly a week with no success.”

“Ordinarily an exorcism would be required to aid someone, but given Goblin Slayer’s weakened condition, performing such a feat may lead to his demise.” Sword Maiden frowned as she thought about what they could do when something came to mind. “There is something we try but the risk will not only affect Goblin Slayer but the rest of us as well.”

“What is it your thinking?” Lizard Priest was intrigued by this new development.

“This curse has taken physical form, in order to remove this evil from Goblin Slayer, we must destroy it directly.”

“Destroy it directly? How do we do something like that?” Half-Demon Thief could not even fathom what this would entail.

“The same way I aided the Hero and her party in defeating Hecatoncheir, we travel to the astral plane to destroy this evil directly.”

“To the astral plane?”

“Yes, the astral plane works as an in-between domain that connects beings to not just the physical world but the great Inferno and Paradise. Sometimes known as the Netherworld, this is where the Lich Queen and the physical form of the curse will be, from there we can destroy this entity and save Goblin Slayer, but if we are lost in this domain, our souls shall be torn apart for all eternity.” Sword Maiden had a frown as she cautioned the others around her. “There is no shame in wishing to remain here, but it is the best bet for saving Goblin Slayer.”

Without a moment of hesitation, the rest of Goblin Slayer’s party was ready to do whatever was necessary to help their comrade. Hero and her comrades would assist Sword Maiden and Goblin Slayer’s party as they had experience in the astral plane, while the others remained behind to watch over Goblin Slayer. With weapons ready, Sword Maiden began the incantation and as she continued a bright blue circle began to surround the party, little by little the light grew brighter and brighter until it enveloped them, when the light vanished those that stayed behind could find no trace of the adventurers.

Xxxx

The light around the adventurers faded away and the party found themselves in a bleak desolate environment, there was nothing but rock and desert around them as far as the eye could see. Above them they could see dark swirling clouds with streak of red lightning that were followed by the roar of thunderclaps; every so often the clouds would part enough to reveal a blood red sky above.

“We are here…the Astral Plane.” Sword Maiden had a frown upon her face as she took in her surroundings.

“What a frightening place.” Lizard Priest remarked as he looked around the area.

“You can say that again Scaly. I shudder to think what kind of beings live in a place such as this?”

“This is but one of the many layers of the Astral Plane.” It was a feminine voice that called out to the party.

They all turned to see a buxom figure in a rather black revealing gown, with long black hair flowing in the wind. Her skin was rather pale and her eyes were black as the darkness of the clouds above save her bright red pupils, yet there was a sadden expression on her face.

“The Lich Queen.” Half-Demon Thief glared at the figure as he placed her hands on the grips of her daggers.

“I am not here to fight, as I mentioned earlier, I wish to save Beloved.” Lich Queen was calm in her tone as she approached the party and bowed her head toward them.

“Why do you continue to refer to Goblin Slayer as your beloved?” Hero was also suspicious of this woman.

“In him I saw the man I once loved long before I became a Lich and grew to love him for who he is not just what I thought I lost.” Lich Queen had a smile on her face as she thought about this then looked over the girls. “If anything, I have been more honest with him about my feelings, than other’s I’ve been watching.”

Many of the women immediately tensed up as they heard her remark, but the Lich Queen gave a shake of her head.

“I am not here to judge, I have already committed enough sins to earn my spot in hell, perhaps in saving Beloved, I can redeem that part of myself that was human. I’ve been watching all of you for some time…often times with jealousy as you can physically interact with him, while I remain a voice within him. Here, I can be of use to you and hopefully help save him.”

“You’re going to help us? Why should we trust you after all you did to us not long ago?” Hero was angry and pointed her sword directly at the Lich Queen.

“Killing me will sever the only thing keeping the darkness from completely consuming him, like it or not, you need my help and I begrudging ask for yours.”

There was a moment of silence among the party, but they had to relent as the Lich Queen would be their best bet in finding this physical form of the cruse.

“Can you lead us to where this “curse” is?” Sword Maiden was curious as she looked around the desert-like terrain.

“The Slayer? Yes, follow me.” The Lich Queen began to walk off toward what looked like a set of mountains in the distance.

“Slayer? Is that what this darkness refers to itself as?” Priestess had a hard time trying to dissociate this entity from her teacher.

“Ever since the Hell Games, and the other salves chanting the name over and over, my curse has taken on this identity.” The Lich Queen continued as she and the others walked further on through the desert. “Time is different here in the Astral Plane, what may seem like hours to us may be mere seconds in the Physical World.”

“Those mountains in the distance…what are they? I feel a tremendous evil presence from them.” Sword Maiden grew worried as they continued in that direction.

“That is his fortress, the minions of this layer serve him as he has promised to set them loose upon the world once he has gained his true physical form.”

“So when we fight, it won’t just be against the Slayer but whatever monstrous entities he has waiting for us as well?” Dwarf Shaman angrily sighed as they continued forward.

“Correct.”

After what felt like several hours the group stopped to decide on what their plan would be when they approached the stronghold, due to the malevolent energy that permeated the air, they were completely unaware of the figure that approached them.

“If possible, we should try to find a way to avoid conflict with these minions and focus directly on the Slayer himself.” Hero suggested as she began to trace a rough sketch of the mountains and the possibility of climbing them.

“The same way you all managed to infiltrate my castle?” Lich Queen looked toward the Hero curiously.

“Yes, why do you not agree with the plan?” Hero frowned as she looked at the Lich Queen. “And why do you assume that form, we all know it isn’t your true shape!”

“My are you jealous. I’ll have you know that I am quite comfortable in this form…and this is the form Beloved saw quite often as I guided with my wisdom.” Lich Queen chuckled but was quick refocus on the task at hand. “My only concern is you all are unfamiliar with the terrain, you were able to infiltrate my castle because there was someone who knew the layout.”

“And I’d help them again without a moment of hesitation.” Half-Demon Thief knew who the Lich was referring to and grew angry.

“I am not going to hold a grudge against you my former thief, but not even I know the full layout of the stronghold. Slayer has shaped it to his desire, and I think that many of you are underestimating him.”

“Then perhaps it would be best if I were to speak with them.”

The voice carried with it such malice that everyone, save the Lich Queen, was immediately filled with a sense of dread. They turned to see a figure in black leather armor, a sword of strange length sheathed on its side and attached to its left arm was a small, round shield.

“My, my…I would never have imagined you’d come to me, and what’s more you’ve brought not one but two legendary heroes for me to destroy. If you were all patient enough, I would have eventually taken control of the body and then I’d hunt you down from there, I guess this does save me a bit of trouble.”

“Slayer!” The group immediately stood with weapons ready to attack.

“Oh please, there’s no need for that. Unlike you all, I am patiently waiting for you at the stronghold, this is but a mere shadow of myself.” Slayer chuckled as he looked over the group. “Though you’re free to try and slay the Slayer if you wish.”

High Elf Archer let loose an arrow which easily flew through his head as if it were a puff of smoke, Hero then leapt forward and slashed at his mid-section but met with the same result. Slayer stood there his chuckle growing into sinister laughter as he continued to walk around the group.

“I told you it was futile, though I will acknowledge that had I been a physically here that probably would have been the end of me.” Slayer paused as he stood within the center of the group. “Don’t forget that this is a game of time…one which you don’t have the luxury of wasting. Very soon, by the end of this day I’d say, he will be consumed. You, my dear Lich Queen, will have your human’s soul to take with you to hell and I shall do what not even you could accomplish…I will slaughter the mortal races.”

“I will not allow you to take him!”

“You realize that if I am destroyed, your tie to him will be gone too right? You’ll be brought to hell, removed from your precious Beloved.”

“If that is the price I must pay to save him then so be it!” Lich Queen gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. “I have been selfish for far too long, even I am capable of doing one good thing with this wretched life.”

The others were shocked to hear the Lich Queen say this, but their attention was soon brought back to Slayer who continued to laugh.

“My how noble, but that doesn’t matter. Surely you can all feel it, not just from here but in the Physical World as well.” Slayer threw his hands up into the air and gave a grand gesture. “There is change on the wind, a great evil is on the verge of revealing itself to the world. Very soon, two new dark gods will join the ranks of those who watch the game, only we will be active players. The God Resurrection will bring life to the lifeless, not mere undead, but thinking monsters stronger than what the gods have created. Then I, the God Destruction will be unleashed to slay all the mortal races! What fun it shall be with the two of us loose on the world.”

“The God of Resurrection, you mean the one responsible for those odd monstrosities that we have seen?” Priestess remembered the massive creature assembled from the bodies of four different races.

“Oh you’ve already seen them, just wait until you are unable to determine who exactly is your enemy from the ones you’re trying to save.” Slayer continued to chuckle; the others could only imagine the sneer on his face under his helmet.

“You seek to become a god? How foolish!” Lich Queen sneered at the Slayer before her.

“That’s funny coming from you. I’m only here because of your spiteful nature. You cursed that human, and now that I’m so close to fulfilling your wish do you actually intend to stop me.”

“I don’t know about this God resurrection, but I will tell you now I’m going to crush your ambition here! You will not become a god this day!” Hero Tightened her grip on her sword.

Slayer chuckled once again as he looked toward the party of adventurers partnered with the Lich Queen and faded away.

“I look forward to your arrival at my stronghold. Hurry now…Goblin Slayer doesn’t have much time remaining.”

xxxx

Only a few minutes had passed as Guild Girl and Cow Girl helped Goblin Slayer back towards his room. Noble Fencer, Half-Dragon Mother and Daughter, and the two dire wolves followed along with them to ensure Goblin Slayer was able to rest. There of course was worry all around not just for Goblin Slayer’s wellbeing, but the possibility of him turning into this wraith and attacking those around him as well as the wellbeing of those who had gone to remove his curse personally. Just as the ladies were about to make their way down the hall to the room he had been occupying, several of the acolytes came rushing down the hall.

“I need cloth strips and medicinal herbs quickly!”

“Yes Mother Superior.”

Cow Girl and the others watched as the acolytes carefully carried in two unconscious individuals; one was a young man in his 20’s while the other was a young boy, possibly 10 or 11 years old. What both had in common was the horrid wounds that covered their bodies, much of their clothing was stained in blood. Noble Fencer and Half-Dragon Mother rushed forward to offer what aid they could as they helped carry the injured boys towards their room, when suddenly the young boy awoke with a scream, thrashing about frantically as the others tried to calm him down.

“Calm yourself, your safe.” Half-Dragon mother held the boy tightly to keep him from hurting himself but restrained herself from injuring him further.

“No…they’re coming back tonight…my brother and I, sent as messengers! You have to save our village!” the young boy cried from his one functioning eye as he looked toward everyone around him.

“Please calm yourself.” Guild Girl held up her hands and slowly approached the boy. “What happened to your village? Who attacked you?”

“It was the goblins!”

**Author’s note: Sorry if this isn’t quite as exciting as some of my other chapters, I want to set up for the two battles that will be fought in the Astral Plane and Physical World in the coming chapters. Next chapter will have our group of adventurers attack the Slayer’s stronghold in the Astral Plane but what of the goblins in the Physical World? Who could stand up to the horde that plans to attack this particular village this very night?**


	56. Chapter 56

“The goblins…attacked our village…many injured…please...” The young boy, now covered in bandages, continued to thrash about in his bed despite being asleep.

Guild Girl, Noble Fencer and Cow Girl looked on from the doorway as the acolytes continued to tend to the two boys; evidently, they had run the entire night despite all the injuries they received. From what they were able to gather from the young boy before he finally fell asleep was a large group of goblins, more than twenty had attacked the village but left before they finished razing the village. The two boys lost their father in the initial attack and their mother instructed them to run and find help for the village.

“It seems they had been running all through the night.” Guild Girl frowned as she looked toward the two injured figures.

“To run for almost an entire day with all those injuries…those boys must have endured so much.” Cow Girl too was upset to think about this, instantly thinking back to what happened to her own village.

“ _Those wretched goblins need to be destroyed._ ” Noble Fencer clenched her fists tightly as she recalled at the goblins had taken from her.

The goblins had attacked and would attack again, there was no way to create a quest form with these two still incapacitated. Guild Girl was at a loss for what she could do given the circumstances when she and the heard others commotion coming from their left. The three girls stepped back to see what was happening and to their surprise saw Half-Dragon Daughter quickly step back with arms stretched out in an attempt to stop someone from leaving the room, that someone was Goblin Slayer.

“You need to stop this, you’re in no condition to be moving around.” Half-Dragon Mother followed behind Goblin Slayer struggling to keep him from leaving as well.

Goblin Slayer grunted as he sheathed his sword and attached his mace to his right side before checking his armor. He proceeded to walk down the hall but stopped when he caught sight of Cow Girl and Guild Girl standing before him each with angry expressions on their faces.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Guild Girl crossed her arms as she stared at Goblin Slayer though she already knew the answer.

“The village those two came from…to deal with the goblins.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Given your condition do you really think you’ll be able to properly deal with the goblins?” Cow Girl tightly clenched her fists, angry that he would continue to think about the goblins even with his injuries.

“She’s right Goblin Slayer, just leave this to other adventurers while my husband and the others deal with the curse.”

“Yeah, papa will help you! He and the rest of the family will beat this curse!”

“It…it has to be me to deal with them.” Goblin Slayer painfully sighed as he could feel the pulsing in his shoulder.

As he attempted to take another step, Half-Dragon Daughter once again stood in front of her with arms and wings outstretched to block him from moving any further, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she angrily looked up toward her big brother.

“Papa…papa said to make sure you didn’t do anything foolish!” Half-Dragon Daughter could feel the tears running down her face, but she continued to hold her ground. “I don’t want to lose anyone in my family! Please…don’t go! Just wait for papa and the others!”

The others in the hall could not help but feel teary-eyed as they heard the young girl’s impassioned plea for Goblin Slayer to remain where he was. Goblin Slayer was silent for a moment as he looked down at the young girl then slowly reached out with his right hand towards her.

“ _That’s right boy, give in to the bloodlust. Just like with the slavers, just like with the Mistress, kill them all! There’s goblins that need slaying, but first, this thing is in your way…kill her!_ ”

Goblin Slayer gently placed his hand upon the young girl’s head, struggling with every fiber of his being to fight the dark influence. Half-Dragon Daughter continued to cry even as her big brother gently patted her head.

“I’m sorry, but I have to go.”

Half-Dragon Daughter could no longer control herself and rushed forward to hug her brother, bawling as if she were a young child. Goblin Slayer embraced the young girl with his right arm as he looked down at her, the others were also moved to tears.

“I do believe in my friends, but there is no guarantee they’ll be able to stop the curse in time. If I do lose control…I may not be able to stop myself.” Goblin Slayer then looked toward Guild Girl and Cow Girl. “I won’t hurt those I wish to protect. If it’s against the goblins, at least they will be slain and I won’t be able to harm anyone else.”

Cow Girl and Guild Girl walked forward towards Goblin Slayer, still hugging the small dragon, and embraced him as well. Goblin Slayer was a bit surprised by this then felt someone embrace him from behind, he turned his helmet and found Half-Dragon Mother also hugging him.

“ _Remember, you have to protect those smaller than you. There are many that care for you and look to you for support, don’t lose yourself._ ”

Goblin Slayer paused as he heard this voice, it was not the Lich Queen or the Slayer entity; this one sounded very familiar and had also stopped him from hurting Priestess…one he would never forget.

“ _Sister._ ” Goblin Slayer calmly looked around in hopes of seeing her yet knew she would not be there.

The girls finally broke their embrace to allow Goblin Slayer the freedom to move on.

“Listen, you better come back from this.” Cow Girl though crying had a small smile on her face. “I don’t want to lose you again.”

“She’s right Goblin Slayer. I will be very upset if you don’t come back from this quest.” Guild Girl smiled as she wiped her eyes. “Alright, let’s see if we can get some of the others to help…”

“No, this must be done alone.”

“But you can’t…”

Cow Girl raised her hands in protest but stopped as he gently took her hand in his.

“I’m sorry, but it has to be this way.” Goblin Slayer looked past the others towards Noble Fencer. “It will take too long by foot, can you get me there by wagon?”

“Absolutely. I’ll get the horses ready immediately.” Noble Fencer turned and rushed to ready the wagon.

Goblin Slayer readied to gather the rest of his supplies when he felt something grip his right wrist; he looked down to see Wolf gently, yet firmly, grip his wrist in its jaws and pull back. Wolf soon released his grip and he and Snow both looked toward him whining as their tails wagged ever so slightly.

“Sorry, I need you both to stay here and look after them.” Goblin Slayer reached out to pet the dire wolves atop their heads.

“You be careful, Wolf and Snow want you to return too, so you better come back from this.” Cow Girl brought her hands to her chest wanting to rush and stop him but managed to hold herself back.

“I can’t promise anything but…I’ll do my best.”

xxxx

“Oh no.” Lich Queen suddenly gasped as they approached the base of the mountainous stronghold.

“What, do you sense something? The Slayer?” Priestess carefully looked around the area but could see nothing.

“No, Beloved is leaving the temple.”

“What? Why would Orcbolg leave, what the hell is he thinking?”

“Goblins. A horde attacked a nearby village and he’s gone to deal with them.”

“That damn fool, what is he thinking?” Dwarf Shaman sighed in frustration while shaking his head.

“He wishes to keep the others in the temple safe from his darker persona.” Lich Queen replied with a solemn expression. “The strain he’ll put on his body will push him closer, we must hurry if we are to save him. The Slayer must be destroyed.”

“Then a word of caution before we fight, though time does move differently here, our abilities have not changed.” The Hero was quick to warn her comrades in arms before the battle began. “The amount times you can use your spells and quantity of your weapons remains unchanged. This will be a long fight ahead of us so use craft wisely.”

“If we are to aid Milord Goblin Slayer then we must make haste. We will focus on the whatever minions the Slayer has for us to contend with, you focus on the Slayer.”

With a nod, the adventurers rushed into the stronghold while high above Slayer looked towards the sky with anticipation.

“My Lord.”

Slayer turned to see five figures in in dark red robes near him, these five humanoid figures had purplish skin and four clawed fingers upon each hand, the most startling thing about them was their head. Their head resembled that of an octopus with four tentacles that moved about their face, these tentacles helped in hiding lamprey-like mouth. Their white pupil less eyes focused directly on the armored creature of darkness which called itself Slayer.

“The vessel I seek to use in the Physical World is nearing its end. Those fools that are attempting to invade this fortress only need to be held at bay until I’ve crossed over. You are free to kill and feed upon their flesh but do what you must to stop them.”

“At once master.”

The five figures quickly turned and proceeded to move down towards a lower level to engage their opponents.

“ _These Mind Flayers will prove most adequate once I’ve crossed into the Physical World. All the denizens of this Astral Plain will serve me and my conquest to wipe out the mortal races from existence. All I need now if for that boy to die, how fitting he should fall against the goblins he so despises and…in the one place where his title was born. The gods above are quite cruel when they wish to be._ ”

In the bottom level of the stronghold, the group of adventurers came face to face with a couple dozen armed individuals. The figure appeared to be emaciated humanoids with yellowish skin, these figures were quite tall, some nearly seven feet. Their heads were long and angular, with flat noses, deep set eyes and long pointed ears, some had black hair while others had red hair, but they all focused their attention on the group that entered.

“These are Gith, slaves of the Mind Flayers, we must break through their ranks if we are to defeat the Slayer.” Lich Queen hissed before she launched herself forward to attack.

The others followed, and although they did not enjoy the idea of having to slay these creatures who were themselves slaves to another, they were not given much of a choice. Sage, Priestess and Sword Maiden held themselves back while the rest of the party engaged the soldiers. They knew they would need to leave their spells for the unknown horrors that lay ahead of them and watched as their comrades dealt with the Gith. Lizard Priest himself had limited himself to just summoning his Dragontooth blade to engage the monstrous humanoids, saving his Dragontooth Warriors for when they were truly needed. The Lich Queen created her two large curved swords to battle alongside the others, though she was not limited to the number of spells she could create, she could not afford to tire her body out with multiple castings.

“That’s the last one for this floor.” Hero grunted as she pushed the body of her blade and looked around the room.

The figures put up a good fight but were not capable of bringing down the determined adventurers.

“Forgive us, but we must save our comrade.” Lizard Priest closed his eyes and bowed his head toward remains of their opponents.

Priestess and Sword Maiden went about their prayers for the fallen while High Elf Archer retrieved her arrows, there was no guarantee that she would be able to find more as they traveled further into the stronghold. Upon further investigation of the level, the group could see that despite being built inside a mountain, the inside had been brilliantly sculpted, it almost seemed like a dark version of the Temple of Law in Water town, though the white stone was now replaced with black rock.

“This place is massive, how many floors does this stronghold have?” Half-Demon Thief curiously looked over the area.

“I haven’t seen the entire fortress myself, but if I remember correctly it was somewhere around 30 levels, it’s more of a tower built in the mountain.” Lich Queen commented with a rather neutral voice.

“Thirty levels? And we’re going to have to fight through each of them?” Female Swordmaster was distressed with the thought of having to face numerous enemies up this tower.

“Though it means we’ll be fighting enemies on every level, remember that time flows differently here. hours and days in the Astral Plane are like minutes and hours in the Physical World.” Sword Maiden calmly replied as she finished her prayers and smiled toward the group. “We need only focus on defeating the Slayer.”

“I will continue to guide Beloved as best I can, though my connection to him feels weaker the closer he is to being consumed by the Slayer.”

“Goblin Slayer.”

Lich Queen and the others turned their attention towards Hero who had a scowl on her face as she continued to glare at the Lich Queen.

“He is not your Beloved. He is Goblin Slayer and none of us have forgotten who has put him in this predicament.”

The Lich Queen was silent for a moment before she smiled towards the young woman.

“Your jealousy is adorable. Now though is not the time for such childishness.”

The group charged forward for the stairwell, up they went the spiraling staircase until they came to the next floor. There on the next floor, there was a massive creature that towered over all of them over thirty feet tall. This massive creature had the lower body similar to a slug, it had two massive arms and on each end was a massive pincer like that of a scorpion. In each of these pincers were the lifeless bodies of two Gith, the monster brought the bodies to its massive mouth and proceeded to eat them, the crunching of the bones heard by all; it then its wide head towards the party, it’s large red eyes hungrily staring at its next meal.

“By the gods, what in the world is this monstrosity?” Dwarf Shaman looked up at this creature with shock, being the shortest of the party this already massive beast seemed even larger.

“A Dreadnought.” The Lich Queen too was surprised that the Slayer would have brought in such a monstrosity for them to contend with.

The Dreadnought roar as it moved its massive body toward them much the way a snake would move its body, with the movement dust fell from the ceiling. The creature raised its right claw and prepared to strike the group, killing them in one fell swoop.

“O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, by the power of the land, grant safety to we who are weak…Protection!”

The massive claw struck the barrier, but unlike with the fireball launched by the ogre some time ago, this barrier did not fracture. With her recent rise in rank, her number of spells she could cast had not only increased by one, but the strength of each spell had greatly increased.

“While it is stalled, go for the eye! Bring this monster down!” Hero shouted as she rushed past the barrier to go for the creature’s claw.

xxxx

Noble Fencer cracked the reins on the wagon to get the horse to move as quickly as possible, though she had now gone by the title of Purveyor Girl. She still kept her rapier by her side and continued her training but had not had the thought of returning to the adventurer lifestyle ever since the encounter with the goblins. She spared a quick glance to the back of the wagon to find Goblin Slayer still sitting, at first it seemed as though he was dead, but she knew to think better than that.

“ _That man will not die, he’s defeated the Goblin Paladin and aided the Hero against the Lich Queen, this won’t be the end of him. Though it may be just the two of us, I’ll help him with all the skill I’ve acquired since that battle._ ”

Purveyor Girl turned her attention back to the road, at full speed they would easily reach the village in a few short hours versus the full day of running as those two young boys had to endure. They would be there by late afternoon which would still leave them plenty of time to prepare for the goblin horde. Within the back of the wagon, Goblin Slayer tried to steady his breathing, prior to leaving he had taken a stamina and healing potion, anything he felt would help stall the curse from consuming him any further.

“ _Have to focus…deal with the goblins…the others…they will deal with the cruse. The pain is getting worse and…I can barely her the voice of the Lich._ ”

“ _Then I will step in for her._ ”

Goblin Slayer was once again surprised to hear this familiar voice and as he turned his head to his left saw a young woman in a long white and green dress sitting beside him. Her light brown hair normally tied in a pony tail that would rest on her right shoulder was now loose, yet she kept her usual smile on her face.

“Sister.” Goblin Slayer was at a loss for now he was able to see his sister once again. “Is this…a trick of the curse?”

His sister calmly reached out and gently squeezed her brother’s hand as she continued to smile.

“ _I am not part of the curse. Did I not say that in my letter I would be with you?_ ” She then pointed to her long hair. “ _You still have it don’t you?_ ”

Goblin Slayer was silent for a moment then calmly reached behind his back to pull out a small dagger with a hawk-shaped head for the handle and a black string tied around it.

“Am…am I able to see you because I am near death?” Goblin Slayer tightened his grip around the dagger.

“ _That may be part of the reason, but I am also here as part of the magic of the Earth Mother._ ” Elder Sister took his hand, still holding the dagger, in both of her hands. “ _What matters is I am here to help you, even if it only to support you, I will do what the Lich cannot while she aids the others._ ”

“The Lich…she fights with the others?”

“ _Yes, the dark persona known as the Slayer has evidently set himself up in some sort of tower and has countless entities for your friends to fight. All to buy time until he is able to consume you._ ” Elder Sister had a sadden expression on her. “ _You must be careful. The Slayer’s goal is for you to fall in battle so he can take your body. This battle with those monsters, given your condition, will be a difficult one._ ”

Goblin Slayer stared at his sister for a moment, within his helmet he frowned as he saw the sad expression on her face, he sighed and nodded his head toward his sister.

“I must not make those smaller than me cry…I will do my best.”

Elder Sister though surprised by this smiled as she looked toward her brother and nodded as she tightened her grip on her brother’s hand.

“ _For now, let us not speak of the goblins, I wish to take your mind off what ails you so you can fight to your best. I’m not surprised to see that my little brother has become so popular with the women, there are so many pining for your attention. I also have noticed that you are now an elder brother to that precious child, I am so proud._ ”

The journey to the village proved to be rather enjoyable for Goblin Slayer; those few hours, though brief, had taken his mind off his curse and the pain her felt in his shoulder, he even found himself chuckling as he spoke with his sister. Purveyor Girl pulled back on the reins to bring the wagon to a halt and surveyed the village as did Goblin Slayer who had disembarked. Much of the village showed burns along the tops and sides of the buildings, near the fields they could the villagers finishing their burial of the dead.

“This village…something about it…” Goblin Slayer looked around the village, in his mind he was sure he had been here before but could not quite place it.

The villagers took notice of the two figures and graciously rushed towards them, thankful someone had heard their cry for assistance. An elderly woman dressed in the garb of a sister calmly walked passed the crowd of people to approach the two adventurers.

“I am so thankful you arrived. Did our two young ones manage to reach you?” The elderly sister was worried for the two she sent off to fetch help despite their injuries.

“They are both recuperating in Frontier Town at the Temple of the Earth Mother.” Purveyor Girl smiled as she calmly nodded toward the sister.

“Thank the gods above, how many more of you are coming?”

The crowd of people anxiously looked towards the large wagon hoping many other adventurers would be descending, but as time moved on those hopes began to fade.

“It is just us.” Purveyor Girl responded with a solemn expression.

The crowd of people broke into a mixture of anger, fear, and sorrow. What would become of their village now? Why had the gods abandoned them, even after one of their own had gone and become a great adventurer? Purveyor Girl was at a loss for what to do or say to calm these people, her mind going back to the people in the mountain village more than a year ago who had the same expression when her requested food and supplies from them. Goblin Slayer remained stoic even amongst the cries of the people, his eyes only focused on the village and what needed to be done in the few short hours that remained.

“I will deal with the goblins.”

The dispassionate voice caught many off guard as they looked toward this one adventurer as if he were crazy yet looking at this man strangely calmed them down.

“ _Just like before, there was only one who came to save our village. He sort of resembles the…no it couldn’t be._ ” The elderly sister carefully looked toward the armored man, paying close attention to his helmet. “Are you…have you come to this village before?”

“I can’t say, but I will deal with the horde that threatens this village.”

The elderly sister continued to stare at the armored man, had to be too much of a coincidence for the same man to come back and save the village from goblins once again but she would not turn down the assistance.

“We are in your debt. Is there anything that you require from us?” The elderly sister smiled as she bowed her head towards the adventurers.

Goblin Slayer was calm as he once again examined the village, then turned his attention back to the people, many bore the injuries of having driven back the goblins from the previous battle while others were either too young or too old to fight. Given his own condition, it would be too difficult a task to try and protect them all while worrying about the horde that would be coming this night, a decision needed to be made. Little did he or the others know that as he and Purveyor Girl had arrived in the village, a small figure happened to be passing by when he caught sight of the people tending to the damaged village and the armored man who disembarked and spoke of the goblins.

“Well, well, who would have thought I’d get to see him here.” The small figure, though missing man teeth, had a smirk on his face as he continued to watch.

“Gather the people in wagons or carts, it does not matter, head to Frontier Town until the matter is dealt with.” Goblin Slayer replied in his flat tone as always.

Once again the crowd was both shocked and angry to hear that they should abandon their homes.

“You, you wish for us to leave?” The elderly sister was also shocked by this.

“Until the task is completed. The horde attacking will be large and there are too many who not be able to defend themselves. We must minimize the possible deaths. I will return to Frontier Town to let you know when the task is complete, you can pay me then with whatever you wish.”

The moment he finished, Goblin Slayer went towards the wagon to begin retrieving what few supplies he had brought with him. The villagers were at a loss for what to say and all eyes fell upon the elderly sister who calmly examined the young man before her.

“ _It really may be him. If it is…then I have faith that he can do this task._ ” The elderly sister turned her attention toward the rest of the villagers. “Gather only what you need, we don’t need to get in his way.”

“But…we are really going to abandon this village?”

“Not abandon. We are going to allow this fine adventurer to deal with the goblins without worry of us, we will return when the task is complete.”

The villagers begrudgingly agreed and went about gathering the wagons and carts they could to load up all the villagers who were unable to travel on foot. Purveyor Girl was shocked by all of this and wondered if she and Goblin Slayer would really be able to handle this task on their own.

“Goblin Slayer…what should I do?” Purveyor Girl was ready to do what was needed to help him.

“Lead the villagers to Frontier Town.”

“You…you want me to leave? But then you’ll be here by yourself, you’ll have no aid!”

“You know of my condition…I won’t endanger the others if I’m alone. Please lead them back to safety.”

Purveyor Girl was at a loss for what to say, she had wished to be of some use to him for all her had done to aid her and the others, but now…all she could do was lead the villagers to safety.

“Very well.” Purveyor Girl clenched her fists and held her head down feeling ashamed that she would not be able to do anything in this fight.

“This is not cowardice.” Goblin Slayer calmly placed a hand on her shoulder. “I am entrusting you to deliver them to safety, it is a task that only you are capable of. If they are attacked on the road, you can defend them.”

Purveyor Girl raised her head, surprised by his words of confidence in her, and nodded her head.

“I…I won’t let you down but…you have to return safely! The others will be there for you!”

Goblin Slayer was silent as he stood motionless for a few moments before he nodding his head and moving towards the village. Within an hour, the villagers had arranged themselves in various wagons and carts and followed Purveyor Girl out in her lead wagon. She and the elderly sister gave one look back towards the village to see the lone adventurer standing there watching as the villagers departed. With the final wagon out of the way, Goblin Slayer estimated he had roughly three hours to prepare for the horde, above the village he could see the dark clouds rolling in and could hear the thunder in the distance.

“Rain. This means they won’t be able to use fire then.” Goblin Slayer carefully returned his attention back to his work yet paused he as he once again looked to the sky and then the village. “ _This village…and the rain…it feels very familiar._ ”

Suddenly something flew forward and struck Goblin Slayer in the side of his helmet. The metallic ping rung out as Goblin Slayer turned his attention to the direction the object came from yet saw nothing. Then as before another object flew forward and once again struck him along the side of his head. Goblin Slayer grunted in annoyance as he looked down as saw two small stones lying on the ground at his feet.

“Still far too slow to react. Had that been a goblin throwing it you would have died fool!”

Goblin Slayer raised his head and observed a small hooded figure slowly approaching the village.

“That is why I wear a helmet, to prevent being struck in the head.”

“You talentless fool, always taking things far too seriously for your own good.” The figure spat as he drew closer towards Goblin Slayer. “It’s been almost seven years…and still the goblins live. I thought you were going to destroy them all. Did you give up in your quest?”

“I have not abandoned my quest…I will slay all the goblins.” Goblin Slayer calmly looked down at the figure who stood before him.

The small figure removed his hood to carefully examine the Goblin Slayer. The figure was a rhea with uneven teeth that were clearly visible as he smirked at Goblin Slayer, his eyes were milky white and upon his face as a long goats patch under his chin.

“Master.” Goblin Slayer calmly nodded toward the rhea.

“Well look at that…a silver ranked adventurer? You get that from just hunting goblins?”

“The guild felt fit to award me with the rise in rank over the years. If there is nothing else, I need to prepare for the horde that is coming tonight.”

“Is that all you have to say to the person who trained you for five long years? You ungrateful whelp, were it not for me you’d be dead along with your sister!”

“That is true, but it doesn’t change the fact that the goblins will be here tonight.” Turned around to continue to get ready for the horde that would be coming.

“Well listen to you, planning ahead to protect the village, perhaps you have improved a bit since I left you. Though there’s something different about you…like the sickening stench of death clings to your very person.”

“I have been cursed.” Goblin Slayer stopped though he kept his back to his master. “My body is in constant pain and when the curse consumes me…I shall become a wraith to slay the mortals. That is why I am alone here so even if I die…only the goblins will be harmed.”

“You sound as if there are others you are partnered with. I thought only the goblins mattered to you.” Burglar paused as he carefully looked over Goblin Slayer.

“I…have a party that is dealing with the curse and…my friends and little sister I do not wish to hurt.”

“ _Little sister? I thought he was the only survivor from that village? My how much has changed over these seven years._ ” Burglar frowned as he though about what Goblin Slayer was saying then sneered. “It sounds as if you found something else to fight for other than the destruction of the goblins.”

“I have.”

“Then what are we wasting time for? Show me how far you’ve come since our last meeting as **we** prepare for the goblins.”


	57. Chapter 57

Goblin Slayer went about setting the arrows in the dirt, each of them lined up in a single row so he could easy access to them when the horde was present. While this was going on, Burglar went about marking spots with stones where pits would be dug and sharpening branches to use for the goblins to fall upon. Goblin Slayer once again collapsed to a knee as he clutched at his left shoulder, a hiss of pain escaping from within his helmet.

“Worthless pupil, you need to focus! I’ve trained you to endure more pain than this and I have no intention of digging these pits myself!” Burglar glared at the Goblin Slayer before throwing another rock at his helmet. “If you need to focus, then answer this riddle you fool! _Voiceless it cries, Wingless flutters, toothless bites, mouthless mutters._ What is the answer?”

Goblin Slayer’s breathing was ragged as he struggled through the pain, even with all of this, his mind was focused on the riddle. Slowly he got back to his feet, his breathing slowing down once again, as he gave his head a quick shake to clear his mind.

“Wind…the answer is wind.”

“Good.” Burglar smirked as he dropped the next rock in his hand and continued to sharpen the stakes. “I’ve marked the spots where to start digging, get it done quickly before those little bastards get the drop on us.”

“Yes sir.” Goblin Slayer went to retrieve a shovel from the nearby wall of one of the houses.

“If you find yourself losing control again, I’ll keep asking you with riddles and for everyone you get wrong, I’ll be taking one of your children as my servants. You do have children don’t you?”

“No.”

“What? You damn fool, you’re what 20…22 and you have no little monsters of your own? What do you plan to do if you fall and there are goblins left to kill?”

“My goal now, is to focus on the curse and the goblins. Everything else can wait.” Goblin Slayer in his dispassionate tone began to tear at the ground with his shovel.

Burglar frowned as he stared at his former student before returning to sharpening the stakes for the pits.

“Do not lose sight of what you’re fighting for boy…those back home you wish to protect. Remember, it is the little things that matter the most.”

xxxx

In the time Goblin Slayer spent on the road and preparing for the impending goblin horde, his allies continued their work continuing up the tower within the mountain. They managed to deal with the Dreadnought but had to go through quite a number of spells to do so even using a couple healing spells for those who rushed in to close. For the party of adventurers, the task they had undertaken was proving to be a very arduous one. Three days had passed for the party and they had only cleared 18 of the 30 supposed floors. Each day they would rest their spell casters and the others could catch their breath, but they had not planned for a long stay in the Astral Plane. The food and water they carried, their normal travel rations, was all they brought with them and even after using them sparingly they would be out of food before they even reached the top.

“I think we have enough to go at least one more day but after that…it will become much more difficult.” Priestess frowned as she looked over the few provision that remained.

“We unfortunately did not plan this excursion very well. If this was to be my last meal, I would much have preferred to have some cheese.” Lizard Priest mused as a way to break the tension.

“We’re it me…I think a big steak and strong beer would be just fine.” Female Swordmaster smiled as she happily rested against the wall.

“That’s why I always bring my fire wine with me lass…unfortunately I’m about to run out.” Dwarf Shaman sighed as he gave his jug a shake to barely hear any of the fire win in it.

“Then when this is over…we should treat ourselves to a feast.” High Elf Archer smiled as she imagined the food waiting for them back at the Guild.

“I’m sure even Goblin Slayer will be happy to join us.” Half-Demon Thief smiled before she finally pushed herself up ready to continue the fight.

“We must steady ourselves.” Sword Maiden walked toward the group of adventurers with sword and scales in hand. “Though the task ahead of us is difficult enough, we must push through the next twelve floors within a day.”

“That is a lot of fighting to do, and no way of knowing what other monstrosities Slayer has planned for us. If we have to deal with any more of those Dreadnoughts, we might exhaust the last of our spells before we reach Slayer.” Sage frowned as she thought about their actual chances ahead of them. “ _We beat the Demon Lord, traveled and fought in hell, and defeated the beast that fell from the stars and that was just when there were three of us. Why have these latest tasks become so difficult? Is the will of the gods or…is something else manipulating the field?_ ”

“It can’t be helped and I will need to limit myself to one remaining spell so that we are able to return to the Physical World.” Sword Maiden sighed as she looked toward the group.

“What if I used Sun Burst…that should be enough to bring the whole mountain down.” Hero was quick to give the suggestion that might lead to a faster resolution to their battle.

“That and bring down several tons of rock upon us. Even with Protection or my Stone Wall, there’s no way we’d survive. No, there doesn’t seem to be any short cut for us, we have to push through.”

The group rushed for the next stairwell but upon reaching the next room, they found a lone figure standing in the center of the room. A humanoid being shrouded in dark red robes, his head like that of an octopus with four moving tentacles near its mouth.

“What in the world…his head is moving?” High Elf Archer looked on with disgust at the creature before her.

“Even the beasts of hell were not so…disgusting.” Female Swordmaster cringed as she watched the four tentacles moving about its face.

“A Mind Flayer.” Lich Queen hissed as she readied to attack all in hopes of aiding her Beloved.

“My Master bids thee welcome.” The Mind Flayer’s eyes began to glow as its slowly began to chant in a strange language. “Daggog avheuke worduk agh bi avo ukleep ukee avhe nighavmareuk avhaav reg lat dancfor alnej mausan puppeavuk.”

“Black Speech…do not lock eyes with him!”

The Lich Queen tried to warn them, but it was too late, all who had locked eyes with him had fallen under his spell. For those caught in the spell, it was much like the Fear Lich Queen had used against them before but far more powerful. The adventurers were not simply experiencing their own personal fears but something far worse.

Female Swordmaster dropped her sword as she felt a terrible pain in her chest, she looked down to see a bulge under her skin moving as something was pushing to get out. The pain and fear overwhelmed her as she held her hands at her sides not sure of what she could do as she watched the object moving until she screamed as the object within exploded out of her body. The creature was unknown, but what she could see was a long green tentacle covered in her blood whipping around like a severed lizard’s tail before wrapping around her neck to strangle her.

Sage felt a terrible pain in her eyes as blood ran down her face in the form of tears; she then collapsed to her hands and knees and began to cough violently. She felt as if she was on the verge of vomiting when she gave one final cough and out came bloody spit. She continued to cough as she felt something forcing itself out of her body and continued to vomit but to her horror what she was vomiting was her internal organs.

Hero found herself within the center of the room with a shackle around her wrists and ankles. She could not see any of the others only the Mind Flayer before her. The Mind Flayer gave a simple wave of his clawed hands and the shackles began to pull in different directions. Hero grunted from the initial pain but soon her grunts turned to cries then to screams as the chains continued to pull. She could feel the muscles straining and could feel them beings torn apart until finally her left arm was torn of it its socket. She cried out as tears ran down her face then felt her right leg being ripped off her body as well. It was only a matter of time before the next limb would be ripped off her body.

High Elf Archer dropped to her hands and knees, and using her right hand, reached for her dagger then brought the blade to her left arm. She found she could not control her body as she plunged her blade into the left hand and began to twist the blade. She grunted from the pain then saw her right arm tear out the blade and bring it towards her left arm and drug the blade across her skin, flaying the flesh off her body. Half-Demon Thief found she could not control her body as well as she took her daggers and pointed them inward and rammed them into her stomach and forced them in different directions. She gritted her teeth, blood running down the side of her face, as she then dropped her blades and reached into the bloody hole in her stomach and took hold of her innards and began to pull them out, a look of terror as she heard them splatter to the ground with a sickening sound.

Lizard Priest look down as his with horror as he saw the scales on his body fall like leaves on a tree. His body was beginning to rot and soon enough it wasn’t just the scales that were falling but now large clumps of flesh dropping to the ground. He tried to take a step but then stumbled forward, he looked down and found his legs hand completely fallen apart, nothing remained but large clumps of flesh and bone. Dwarf Shaman watched as his right arm burst into flames, in a panic he shook his arm to try and douse the flames, then watched as his left arm also caught fire. He cried out as his entire body was consumed by the fire, the pain excruciating and no matter what he did he could not stop the flames. Priestess looked down to her right hand in horror as she watched it painfully swell until it finally exploded. She cried out as she looked down at the bloody stump but soon her eyes grew as wide as saucers as she saw the same thing happen to the rest of her right arm. Soon enough the same was happening to her entire body, little by little parts of body continue to swell up before exploding in a gory mess.

In reality, none of these events had actually occurred, the adventurers were still in the room unharmed and perfectly motionless. It had only been a few moments since the spell had been cats, but for those caught by the spell it would have felt like agonizing hours. The victims of the Mind Flayer would relive their terrors over and over until their minds eventually broke down and were easy to dominate. Lich Queen and Sword Maiden were the only one not affected by the spell, and just as Lich Queen prepared to attack when she saw several of the Gith rush forward to serve their master.

“We must break his control!”

“Then allow me to be of service. I cannot fall under any illusions that require me to see them.” Sword Maiden raised her sword and scales to begin her offensive. “By the will of the Supreme God, Holiest of all, bathe this land in your radiant glow…Holy Light!”

A bright light flooded the room, the Mind Flayer and the Gith forced to cover their eyes as the light blinded them. With the light at her back, the Lich Queen was free to attack these wretched creatures that would stop her from saving Goblin Slayer. With a howl of fury, the Lich Queen transformed her body back to the imposing figure shrouded in darkness with a skeletal face and golden crown atop her head. The other adventurers immediately snapped out of their trance and collapsed to the ground, their bodies still trembling from the trauma they were forced to endure. The Mind Flayer was the first to recover his vision and looked up to see the tower figure of the Lich Queen glaring down at him with her glowing red eyes and large swords in her hands.

“I teach you insects what true fear is!” The Lich Queen growled in anger as she raised her swords to attack.

The Mind Flayer was momentarily frozen with fear as it saw this figure and that moment was enough for the Lich Queen to split him in two with her blades. The Lich Queen was far from finished as she vented her rage and slaughtered the stunned Gith only stopping when she saw nothing but horrid chunks of meat left behind. The Lich Queen turned her attention towards the others and saw Sword Maiden tending to the others in hopes of calming them down. Her swords vanished as she quickly returned to her more human form and rushed back to aid them as well.

“It’s okay…you’re safe now.” Sword Maiden took hold of the trembling Priestess’s hand in hers. “The spell has been removed. Whatever you saw was not real, only an illusion.”

Many of the adventurers found themselves still looking down at their bodies, not sure if what they were seeing now was reality or another part of the illusion used by the Mind Flayer. High Elf Archer and Half-Demon Thief found they still could not pick themselves up from the floor when a shadow appeared over them. They looked up to see the Lich Queen calmly kneel down and place a hand on their shoulders.

“I know the spell was difficult for you, but we must steel ourselves or our quest to stop the Slayer and save Beloved will be for naught. Please…lend me your strength.”

Little by Little the adventurers finally regain their senses and stood ready to tackle the next floor. They themselves knew they had wasted far too much time with this one Mind Flayer and there was no way of knowing just how many more awaited them.

“You and Lady Sword Maiden have our thanks…I would not wish that type of torture on even my most hated of enemies.” Lizard Priest carefully looked over his hand and body just to verify that his body have not started to rot.

“Thank you.” Half-Demon Thief nodded her head towards Lich Queen. “Never thought I’d be thanking you.”

“How rude, even I am capable of some good.” The Lich Queen was quick to offer a small smile. “I will aid as much as possible, but we must be wary of other Mind Flayers, they are the ones who have broken the wills of the Gith and turned them into mindless slaves or for food. None of you can afford that fate.”

“You are correct, we all have much to do before our time comes.” Hero was calm as she sheathed her sword then calmly placed a hand on his left arm before turning back toward the Lich Queen. “Thank you.”

The Lich Queen was slightly surprised to hear the Hero thank her but calmly smiled and nodded back toward her. The adventurers knew what needed to be done and charged forward, they have to go much farther before they could take another breather, The Slayer was awaiting them atop this tower as well as the fate of Goblin Slayer.

xxxx

“One last one… _A box without hinges, key or lid, yet golden treasure inside is hid…_ What is the answer?”

A bolt of lightning shot across the sky just as the rain began to fall, Goblin Slayer and Burglar looked toward the dark forest as the wind howled around them.

“An egg.”

“Very good. Then again that was an easy one, I was feeling a bit sorry for you.” Burglar sneered as examined Goblin Slayer then looked back at the forest. “Will you be able to manage?”

“There is great pain throughout my body, but I will find a way.”

“Remember to focus, otherwise those who have gone to help you will have fought for nothing.” Burglar then looked down towards his short sword and noticed the blue glow about the blade. “They’re coming.”

Goblin Slayer looked down towards his master and saw the blue glow about the blade, his master had told him long ago that it glowed whenever orcs or goblins were near.

“What is in my pocket?” Goblin Slayer murmured to himself as he waited for the first sight of the goblins.

“What’s that boy?”

“The final riddle…it was not a riddle but a question. What have I got in my pocket? You never did tell me.”

“Do you want to know?” Burglar smirked as he looked towards his pupil.

Goblin Slayer silently looked toward the forest, his eyes finally catching sight of something moving through the tall grass and even larger shapes within the tree line.

“No.” Goblin Slayer was dispassionate in his replay as he took hold of his bow and the first arrow.

Burglar chuckled before turning his attention back to the tree line where he too could see movement even through the rain. Little by little the small creatures emerged, within their hands were clubs, axes and short swords, they wore no armor. Behind them were five hobgoblins, they too wore no armor, and each held a large weapon such as a club or stone ax. What was most troublesome was the final figure that followed behind them, he was a goblin like the others but was as tall as the hobgoblins and rather lean in his build. A strange red cloth covered his eyes and upon the cloth was an odd design of an eye drawn in the center.

“Shaman…and he’s a wanderer.” Goblin Slayer carefully examined the goblin shaman with staff in hand.

“He’s an experienced one, survived enough battles to lead this horde…no telling what kind of magic he’s capable of.”

“He will need to be dealt with first.” Goblin Slayer raised his bow and nocked an arrow to take down the shaman.

The goblin shaman frowned as it looked around the village, there was no sign of smoke from the houses or lights within, no visible sign of guards, it appeared as if the village had been deserted. Their previous attack was meant to test the defenses with just a handful of his horde and he had planned for them to act in an agitated state, but this scene before him was not right. Suddenly an arrow flew forward, it was on a direct path to pierce his head when the arrow suddenly arched and flew back toward the source. There was a metallic ping and a grunt from the one who fired the arrow, but this only brought a smile to the shaman’s face.

“ **There are humans still here.** ” The shaman raised his staff and gave a roar. “ **Slay the humans, take only the finest women for our stock, raise this village to the ground!** ”

The goblins roared as they charge through the field towards the nearby fence, completely unaware of the traps that were prepared for them.

“Missile Deflect…then he can’t be taken down from afar. You alright boy?”

“Fine.” Goblin Slayer had been struck in the right shoulder by the arrow, thankfully his armor had prevented him from taking any damage. “I’ll slay him up close then.”

“Don’t get to cocky, I doubt he’ll simply allow you to run up to him and slay him. Here they come, let’s see if that Missile Deflect works on the small ones too.”

The first few goblins leapt over the fence and immediately fell into the traps prepared for them. Six of the goblins screeched as the sharpened poles pierced through their bodies, their brothers were shocked by the sight and were easy prey for Goblin Slayer’s arrows. Six more goblins fell as the thunder rolled in, arrows pierced through their skulls or chests, their small bodies splatting against the mud. The small goblins were in a state of confusion as they saw two figure charge forward from the village, those not fast enough were quickly dealt with as both figure went to work with their blades.

“ ** _Only two adventurers? These humans are more idiotic than I originally thought. Even if they slayed more than a dozen of my underlings, I have more to replace them._** ” The goblin shaman smiled before once again roaring to the others. “ **Kill them, there are only two! Do not let them stop us!** ”

Bolstered by their leader, the goblins rushed in to avenge their fallen brothers and were cut down by the two adventurers. Goblin Slayer focused his sword and mace on the goblins who were foolish enough to charge him directly. Burglar was not far behind as he used his shirt sword to attack the goblins around him though there wasn’t as much a difference in size between the two.

“Foolish goblins! I shall be the one to do the Stinging here!”

With blade in hand he cut through one goblin then turned and slashed through the next, but then there was a third goblin with a short sword. This goblin howled as he rushed in and plunged his sword into the rhea stomach pushing with all his might. The goblin’s blade however could not pierce through Burglar’s stomach, no matter how hard the goblin pushed the blade would not move any further. Burglar gasped at the initial sensation of the blade hitting his stomach, the growled as he used his own blade to decapitate his wound be assassin.

“Stupid goblin, no blade can pierce this mithril shirt!” Burglar sneered as he gave his chest a pat for beneath his clothing was a shirt of mithril given to him by a friend long ago.

Between the two of them and their traps, twenty of the goblins had been dealt with, but Goblin Slayer could see at least another dozen plus the five hobgoblins and the shaman to deal with. One of the hobgoblins rushed with club in hand, but Goblin Slayer easily sliced through his fingers forcing the hobgoblin to drop its weapon where he then swung his mace and connected with the Hob’s head. With a sickening crunch, the hob fell over like a falling tree, and Goblin Slayer stood ready to face the next goblin.

“ _I don’t think so boy._ ”

A sudden flare of pain shot through Goblin Slayer’s body as he dropped to a knee, his left shoulder was throbbing once again and before he could properly react, a bolt of lightning struck him. The shaman had been watching the battle with a sneer, if the goblins fell he could always replace them with captured females, he was bidding his time for the appropriate moment to attack the two adventurers and saw it the moment the armored figure dropped to the ground. He was not sure of the cause, but would not waste the opportunity given to him, with staff in hand he chanted the spell and cast a lightning bolt. The bolt of light struck Goblin Slayer’s left shoulder and with a small explosion destroyed the armor plating, leather coating and chainmail in an instant. Blood freely spilled from his injured shoulder, Goblin Slayer threw his head back wanting to scream but gritted his teeth as he tried to deal with the pain, but soon a new pain overtook him. One of the hobgoblins rushed in while he was down and struck with his club hard enough to send the injured Goblin Slayer back a few feet. Goblin Slayer lay sprawled out in the mud as the rain beat down upon his body and blood ran from his injured left shoulder and from within his helmet.

xxxx

Slayer looked out from within his stronghold at the desolate land before him and the dark thunderous skies overhead. He could feel the time was close as hand that he would be free of this dreaded hellhole and would be free to conquer the physical realm. He looked down toward his left hand and saw it slowly phase in and out, the more it phased away the closer he was to taking control of the Goblin Slayer’s physical body. He had not heard anything from the other Mindflayers, he could only speculate that they were still keeping the adventurers busy.

“It would be far better if they’ve already been dealt with, but I know this group far too well. The biggest concern is the Hero and that attack of hers.”

Slayer’s connection to Goblin Slayer meant he had access to all of the memories the adventurer had created over the past twenty years. He was well aware of the Hero’s Sun Burst spell, one that had been reflected by the living Lich Queen and the destructive nature of the attack. The pool of resources also meant Slayer would have access to special knowledge that only Goblin Slayer would know.

“I have my own variations of his own attacks and items.” Slayer chuckled as he looked toward his sides to see the mace and sword ready for his use. “ _Assuming they do make it this far, I’m prepared for them._ ”

His eyes wandered to the dome like structure that covered his strong hold and then looked below upon the mountains with a fiendish smile beneath his helmet.

“Slayer!”

Slayer turned his head to see Lich Queen in her human guise followed by the other adventurers. The entire party looked exhausted, blood from the Gith and Mindflayers covered their clothing and for many their own weapons weighed heavily in their shaky hands.

“How impressive, you managed to deal with the Dreadnoughts and the Mindflayers, I have thought that surely one among you would have died. Goblin Slayer would have been so proud of all the struggle you went through.”

“You…you are dying this day, you will not have Goblin Slayer!” Hero was confident as she raised her sword to attack. “Sun Burst!”

“You’re a fool.”

A bright light flooded the room as the stone around the adventurers began to crumble, this one attack would surely destroy the Slayer. As the light illuminated the room, the party could see three of the disgusting dreadnoughts clinging to the ceiling. The monstrous creatures released their claws and dropped to the floor, cracking the stone and attacking as a meat shield for Slayer. There was a thunderous explosion as the top of the mountain stronghold was blown apart, smoke chocked the scene leaving everyone unable to see.

“Did…did you get him?” Half-Demon Thief lowered her daggers as she struggled to look through the smoke.

The Hero had seen it right before the blast destroyed the room, the horrendous creatures that appeared before Slayer. As the smoke began to clear the party could make out the outline of a long figure, a final gust of wind blew away the remaining smoke and there stood Slayer unharmed, around him lay the remains of the Dreadnoughts.

“Damn it…those beasts…he used them as shields.” Hero hissed as her final spell which had been meant for Slayer, was now wasted on those wretched monsters.

“My that was quite impressive, but you should know that I was prepared for your spells…he and I do share the same memory.” Slayer chuckled as he tapped the right side of his helmet with his right index finger. “That also means I can recreate some of his more…unique thinking.”

Slayer reached within his pouch and withdrew a rolled up paper scroll, for many of the adventurers this brought on confusion but for those who had been with Goblin Slayer this was cause for worry.

“Priestess hurry!” High Elf Archer looked toward Slayer with wide eyes.

“O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, by the power of the land grant safety to we who are weak…Protection!”

Priestess cast protection just as Slayer unrolled the scroll, pointing it directly at the group of adventurers. A stream of black fluid flew forward striking the barrier with such force that it began to crack, many of the adventurers behind Priestess took a step back as they heard and saw the cracks forming in the barrier but Priestess stood her ground. The torrent of black liquid soon stopped and the exhausted Priestess finished her spell and collapsed to her knees within the black fluid.

“What…what was that?” Hero was completely surprised by the spell cast by Slayer.

“That was a gate scroll…Goblin Slayer would use them in dire emergencies.” Priestess struggled to catch her breath as she used her sounding staff to get back to her feet. “ _That only leaves me with two spells left._ ”

“Keen eyes young one, though I put my own variation as there isn’t much water her for me to use, but there is plenty of darkness.” Slayer tossed aside the smoldering scroll away then drew out both weapons.

“So you finally mean to fight us then you foul fiend.” Lizard Priest tightened his grip on his blade within his right hand and the dragontooth catalysts in the other.

“Remember…I’m just buying time until he dies, shouldn’t be long now that he’s fighting the goblins.” Slayer then pointed towards the sky with sword in hand. “Even I am not foolish enough to fight you all at once, so they’ll keep you busy.”

The group of adventurers looked upward to see a multitude of winged creatures flying overhead. Five of them were large dragons with Gith riding them, the other creatures were large bipedal with large bat-like wings attached to their backs. Dwarf Shaman then heard the sounds of something below them on the mountain and as he peered over the side the sight worried him. Climbing up the sides of the mountain were more of the gith and three more of the monstrous dreadnoughts, further below were the Mindflayers commanding the monsters.

“There’s more of the ugly bastards climbing up the side!”

“I wanted to make sure that you all had plenty of playmates now…who feels like they can defeat me and save Goblin Slayer?” Slayer openly mocked the adventurers as he extended his arms outward daring them to attack.

“I’ll take that challenge!” High Elf Archer let loose an arrow towards Slayer.

Hero and Lich Queen also charged forward with weapons drawn while the others went to fight against the winged creatures who swooped in for the kill. Slayer effortlessly struck the arrow out of the air with his sword then prepared to face the Hero and the Lich Queen. With a laugh he used his two weapons to keep the tired Hero and the Lich Queen busy as he could feel the Goblin Slayer was already in combat.

“ _Just need to keep them busy, my only real concern is the Lich. Like me she doesn’t get tired in this realm, but….if I can kill her then I’m that much closer to claiming that physical body._ ”

“The dragons are coming in!” Female Swordmaster tightened her grip on her sword as she watched the dragons and the winged creatures dive down towards them.

“O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, grant your sacred light to we who are lost in darkness…Holy Light!”

The area was bathed in lights blinding the monsters above. Two of the dragons turned and crashed into each other as they tumbled towards the ground. High Elf Archer took aim to target the other dragons while they were distracted and fired arrow after arrow into their heads. Dwarf Shaman used one of his two remaining spells to fire a stone blast towards the other winged creatures overhead. While this was happening, the others attacked the Gith who climbed over the edge of the ruined mountain.

“By the will of the Supreme God, holiest of all, grant to us the speed and accuracy of your light…Arrow of Light!” Sword Maiden finished her evocation as she raised her sword and scales and slammed in upon the ground.

The moment Sword Maiden struck the ground, dozens of arrows made of light erupted from her swords and rained over the sides of the mountain easily piercing the bodies of the Gith and managed to knock one of the Dreadnoughts off the side.

“ _I’m…I’m down to my last spell, may the Supreme God see us through this task._ ”

Slayer continued to battle the Hero and the Lich and laughed as he managed to knock back the Lich with a strike of his mace against her blades. He then turned his full attention towards the Hero and pressed the attack, the exhausted warrior having to stay on the defensive as she did her best to counter the strikes from Slayer. Slayer gave a mighty swing of his mace and knocked the Hero’s sword back then slammed his shoulder into the young girl and knocked her to the ground.

“Time to finish you, my first step towards becoming a true God of Destruction!”

Slayer swung his sword but something stepped in front of the fallen Hero taking the blow. Lich Queen jumped in time to protect the Hero, taking a deep cut along her back. Slayer was shocked by this which allowed the Lich Queen to fire a few icicles from her hand at him, forcing him back a few steps.

“Damn you.” Slayer grunted as he pulled the shards of ice out of his damaged body.

“You…you saved me.” Hero was shocked by the Lich Queen’s sudden actions.

“Indeed.” Lich Queen hissed as she could feel the blood running down her back then smiled. “All the time I’ve spent with Beloved has made me soft…I even went and aided a former enemy.”

“Thank you.” Hero nodded as she slowly stood using her sword to support her.

Slayer looked at the bloody icicles he pulled from his body, he was still vulnerable until Goblin Slayer was dead or near dying. He then sensed Goblin Slayer in combat against the goblins in the Physical Realm and knew this was his chance.

“I don’t think so boy.” Slayer raised his hand towards the sky and clenched his fist.

A bolt of lightning shot across the sky and with it, Slayer began to laugh like a madman. The others all looked towards him as if he was mad, all but Lich Queen whose wound suddenly felt much worse and forced her to her knees. Even though Hero did not fully understand this she would not hesitate to strike the distracted Slayer. She charged forward and swung her sword, but watched as it passed through Slayer as though he were a plume of smoke. The others all saw this and watched as Hero tried twice more to cut the Slayer only for him to turn and strike her sword with his.

“What…I don’t understand.”

“Isn’t it obvious fools…my consciousness is leaving this place because Goblin Slayer is dying!” Slayer continued to laugh as he looked toward his arms and watched as they began to fade in and out. “You’ve lost! Goblin Slayer will soon be dead and then…I will unleash hell upon the world!”

**Author’s Note: Sorry for the delay there, but I finally got out of my funk to finish this chapter.**

**Thus we come to the end of Howl of Vengeance and the legacy of Goblin Slayer for now…we begin the bloody reign of the Slayer!**

**Or is this the end?**


	58. Chapter 58

“ _Brother get up! You need to get back on your feet or the goblins are going to kill you!_ ”

Goblin Slayer grunted as he clawed at the mud, the throbbing in his head was like a hammer striking an anvil. He soon realized that if was not just in his head but four of the goblins continued to beat his downed body with their clubs each blow denting his armor further and further. The coppery taste of blood in his mouth was there as he struggled to get back to his feet, the goblins continued their assault to kill the armored adventurer.

“Get up boy! Don’t you die there on the ground like a worm, get back on your feet and have to decency to die like a man.” Burglar quickly jumped to the side to avoid the strike from the hobgoblin’s stone ax. “ _There’s too many of them for me alone, have to get hold of it…have to put on the ring._ ”

“ _I don’t much care for your Master, but he is right. You need to get up! You’re stronger than these little monsters._ ”

Goblin Slayer gave a final grunt and pushed himself back up grabbing the nearest goblin with his right hand and slamming it into the mud. The goblin gasped as he hit the ground before Goblin Slayer slammed his shield down upon the goblin’s head, crushing it like piece of fruit. The other goblins were shocked by this and quickly moved away as Goblin Slayer reached for his weapons to continue his fight. Two of the hobgoblins continued their attacks as Goblin Slayer did his best to fend off their attacks. With a quick swing of the mace struck the hobgoblins leg breaking the bone, as the hob goblins dropped his ax and dropped to his hands and knees, Goblin Slayer used his sword to cut its throat.

“That’s…another…”

Goblin Slayer was unable to finish as a bolt of fire struck his body, his chest plate was destroyed, and his body surrounded by flames. The shaman laughed as he once again took advantage of the armored adventurer’s focus on the opponent before him but not the others around him. Goblin Slayer stumbled backwards as he attempted to douse the flames before it did any permanent damage, thankfully the rest of his armor was holding but the fire was consuming the oxygen around him.

“ _The flames…body feels hot…can’t breathe…_ ”

Once again, he was struck by another of the hobgoblins with its club, with only the damaged chainmail and leather armor Goblin Slayer could hear the cracking of his ribs as he went flying. He hit the ground with a heavy thud and rolled a few feet away from the hobgoblin. He saving grace was the hobgoblin lacked the power of the goblin champion and the impact extinguished the flames that covered his body but there he lay motionless, his weapons mere inches before him.

“ _Brother!_ ”

“Boy!” Burglar looked on as his pupil was tossed aside like a toy and here he was unable to get to him. “You damn goblins, get out of my way!”

xxxx

“I’m out of arrows!” High Elf Archer reached for quiver and found it empty and was forced to put away her bow and pull out her dagger to defend herself.

A Dreadnought crushed the Dragontooth Warrior within its pincers, returning it back to its catalysts then turned its attention back to the other adventurers, they however were still occupied with the Gith warriors around them. Before the Dreadnought could strike Priestess once again cast Protection to shield her comrades, this allowed the others focus on their current opponents before going after the Dreadnought.

“You damn son of a bitch!” Half-Demon Thief growled as she charged toward the Dreadnought with daggers in hand.

Those around her thought she was crazy but saw her leap onto the creature’s arm and run up towards the monster’s head. This thirty-foot monster turned its head towards the small figure running along its body when it suddenly vanished. Half-Demon Thief used her agility to leap to the top of the monster’s head where with a scream she jammed her blades into its massive eye. The Dreadnought roared as it thrashed about, Half-Demon Thief plunged her left dagger into the side of the monster’s head to keep from flying off while she continued to stab the beast with her right dagger. Female Swordmaster and Lizard Priest rushed in to join the young demon and used their blades to sever the monster’s pincers. With the monster disarmed as it were, Dwarf Shaman fired off his final Stone Blast at the monsters watched as the barrage of rocks tore into the monster’s flesh. With a final roar the massive beast fell forward striking the barrier and shattering it before it collapsed to the ground, Half-Demon Thief thrown from its body as it hit the ground where she rolled toward the feet of her comrades.

“Is she ahhh…”

Dwarf Shaman was struck before the side by one of the armed Gith warriors, fortunately the jewels he has sown into his coat stopped the blade from cutting into his flesh.

“You bastard, I’ll shown what happens when you get in a dwarf’s way!” Dwarf Shaman drew out his hand ax to attack the Gith.

Sword Maiden frantically looked around the area as the Gith continued to climb up the mountain: she had enough magic for one final spell and that was to be used for the return incantation, but if they left now their quest to save Goblin Slayer would fail.

“ _I…I could fire one final burst of my Arrow of Light. It would kill most of the Gith and might by us enough time to escape…at least most of us would escape, but I’d only be delaying our inevitable demise and we’d still be failing Goblin Slayer. Gods above give us a solution._ ”

“There’s…there’s too many of them and I’m out of spells!” Sage panted heavily as she struggled to keep on her feet, she used her staff to keep the Gith at bay was not as accustomed as Hero and Swordmaster to feet hand to hand.

“Just…just got to hold on a little longer.” Half-Demon Thief grunted as she got back to her feet with the aid of Priestess. “Can’t…can’t let down Goblin Slayer!”

“Agreed Young Demoness, we fight to the last man that way if we do fail, we at least gave it everything we had. It will be an honorable demise worthy of my ancestors.” Lizard Priest hissed as blood ran from his wounds. “ _Though…I’d rather not leave my love and daughter behind. We must see this fight through!_ ”

Lich Queen could see and hear the others as they continued to struggle against the Gith while Hero continued to battle against the ever-fading Slayer.

“What fun, I’m able to harm you yet you can do nothing to stop me.” Slayer laughed as he once again knocked Hero to the ground. “I could let the Gith overwhelm you as the others, but I’ll take joy in being the one to end the short-lived legacy of the Hero!”

Hero raised his sword to finish the weakened Hero but she stubbornly blocked his attack with her own sword.

“I…I am far from beaten! And you haven’t claimed Goblin Slayer yet, so it is too early for you to be celebrating!”

The Lich Queen was surprised by the devotion these people had to her Beloved, over her short time of being with him she had inadvertently come to care for them.

“ _There…there must be something we can…No! There is something I can do, something I should have done long ago and there is no guarantee that he or I will survive the process, but I’m trusting it to the roll._ ”

“Sword Maiden!” Lich Queen managed to get to her feet despite her injuries. “Gather the others around you! When I tell you, chant the invocation to return you all to the Physical World!”

The other adventurers all spared a brief glance toward Lich Queen as she walked toward the edge of the mountain cliff.

“But the Slayer has not been defeated.” Sword Maiden was confused by the sudden instruction from the Lich Queen.

“I shall take care of the rest and if I am successful…I am hopeful that we will continue to work together.” The Lich Queen smiled towards the adventurers before gazing back towards the open sky. “Please trust me!”

The adventurers who could continue to fight not sure what the Lich Queen was planning, but for the moment the Gith were ignoring her to attack them. Lich Queen sighed as she closed her eyes to focus on what her Beloved was seeing.

“ _My connection to Beloved may be weak, but it is still there. Beloved can you hear me?_ ”

xxxx

Goblin Slayer grunted as he struggled to pick his body back up, the fire fortunately only scarred his exposed shoulder, but gave the hobgoblins an advantage to strike at him. His armor was dented or cracked, many of the links to his chainmail broken and the leather armor torn of scorched by the fire. Despite the thumping in his head he heard the heavy splashing of the hobgoblins as the stomped forward, the three hobgoblins cackled as they prepared to finish off the adventurer. Goblin Slayer see his mace off to his left but too far away to reach, his sword near his hand, it would have to do in fending off these creatures.

“ _Beloved can you hear me?_ ”

Goblin Slayer paused as he finally heard the familiar voice of the Lich Queen.

“Where…”

“ _No time Beloved, I can see your sword before you…that will do. Now listen very carefully, take your sword in hand and stab it into your shoulder, the one I originally stabbed you in. It doesn’t have to go in very far, just far enough for me to transfer my blood._ ”

“I…I don’t understand…” Goblin Slayer managed to get back up on one knee and took his sword in hand.

“ _Please Beloved…trust in me._ ”

Goblin Slayer looked up to see the hobgoblins closing in and knew now was not the time to question what the Lich Queen was thinking. With sword in hand, he stabbed the tip of the blade into his left shoulder to the surprise of the hobgoblins who stopped at the sight.

“ _Good, now this will be very painful, but you must not remove that blade until I tell you._ ”

xxxx

Lich Queen could see that her Beloved had stabbed the blade into his shoulder like she had instructed so now she could begin.

“Let us begin…Gods let this work.” Lich Queen closed her eyes and sighed before looked toward the heavens and stretched out her arms. “Gods of Light…Gods of Dark…Gods of Order…Gods of Discord…hear my plea. I invoke the rite of summoning as I transfer my soul to this weapon to serve my new master.”

xxxx

The gods above were at a loss for what was being asked of them, never before had someone willingly asked to become a summons.

“Can…can we grant such a request?” Illusion looked toward the Supreme God for confirmation.

“You can’t…she is a minion of evil…I will never approve of such an act!” The God of Evil glared at the Lich Queen token then toward the Goblin Slayer token. “ _Cursed unpredictable token, affecting all around him!_ ”

“Then shall leave it to roll…fate shall decide the outcome.” The Supreme God looked toward the others who nodded their heads in approval.

Illusion gave the dice a shake and tossed them onto the board, though they were not allowed to visibly alter the roll, the Supreme God secretly moved his fingers by his side, so that a high enough number could be reached, none of the gods had seen this and were all surprised to see the dice land as they did. A small smile crossed his face, such an unorthodox solution to this problem, he would now wait to see if either of these two would survive the process.

xxxx

Goblin Slayer grunted as an intense pain flooded his body, though he could not see it, a dark red glow surrounded his body which caused the goblins to all stop and back away from the uncommon sight. A dark red liquid began to run from his shoulder and stained the black blade slowly coating it, yet he did not remove the blade as the Lich Queen had instructed. While the goblins were all distracted by the sight of the glowing Goblin Slayer, Burglar sheathed his blade, quickly reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small golden ring. It was a simple ring, no visible markings on it, yet the moment he put the ring on he immediately vanished.

xxxx

The Slayer continued to attack the Hero and laughed as she attempted to fight back, suddenly the Hero slashed at his leg and actually cut into his dark flesh. Slayer grunted as he took a couple steps backs and looked toward his leg, the Hero was also shocked that she had managed to injure him. Slayer looked at his body and to his surprise noticed that his body was becoming more tangible, wondering what was going on he quickly looked around and caught sight of the Lich Queen off to the side a strange red glow around her body.

“NO!” Slayer tightened his grip around his weapons and charged toward the Lich Queen, completely forgetting about the shocked Hero.

Slayer let out a blood curdling cry as she slashed with his sword at the Lich’s back only for his weapon to pass through her body as the Hero had through his body some time ago. Slayer was in complete disbelief and in a mad frenzy continued to strike at the Lich’s body with sword and mace hoping he be able to kill her. The Hero saw this but before she could question it any further, Female Swordmaster rushed to her friend’s side and quickly picked her back up.

“Come on! We go to get back to the others!”

“But what about the Lich and Slayer?”

“She’ll take care of things, come on!”

Slayer in a panic tossed his weapons aside and resorted to his hands as he continued in vain to attack the Lich Queen’s body.

“You fool! What do you think you’re doing!” Slayer finally stopped as he continued to see the Lich Queen’s body becoming more transparent as he knew what her plan was.

“Saving Beloved…no matter the cost.”

“You damn fool. This ritual will mean that your soul will be gone from this realm, you’ll…you’ll lose any chance of be revived in a physical body! You may think he will continue to care for you, but you’re mistaken! He’ll toss you aside like an unwanted piece of trash! If…if that sword of his breaks, you’ll be dead, gone forever soul and all!”

“If those are the only negatives you can come up with for me to stop…then you are a bigger fool than I give you credit for.”

“Don’t…don’t do this! I will slay the mortals, and you can have his soul just as you desired! Please...I beg you!”

“I…I have lived a life full of nothing but selfish desires, perhaps this one action will give me a chance redeem myself even if it is just saving one life.” Lich Queen then looked over her shoulder towards the others. “Sword Maiden now!”

Slayer turned to see the group of adventurers nearby as the one called Sword Maiden began her invocation while the others fended off the Gith warriors, a white glow surrounding their feet.

“NO!” Slayer panicked as he looked around the area for his weapons and quickly went to fetch them before rushing toward the adventurers.

Lich Queen turned her attention back toward the horizon when she suddenly felt a presence near her. She turned toward her left to see a young woman with long brown hair blowing in the wind wearing a long green and white dress. There was a light frown on her face as she looked toward the Lich Queen, the Lich already knew who she was.

“ _I…I am sorry for all I’ve done to your brother. If you’ll allow me, I will do all I can to protect him and his friends as I try to find some way to atone for the sins of my past._ ”

Elder Sister continued to frown for a moment as she looked toward the Lich Queen when she smiled and nodded toward her.

“ _Thank you for trying to save him over these past couple months. May you find peace._ ” Elder Sister smiled brilliantly before she faded away.

The barrier of light that surrounded the adventurers kept him from getting any closer as he swung his weapons at them but could not harm them in any way.

“Hear me…all of you…even you Goblin Slayer! None of you will ever be free of me! You can’t escape my wrath! One day I’ll be free of this realm and then I shall hunt you down! I’ll chase each and every one of you to the ends of the Earth!”

“And we shall be ready for you.”

Slayer was not sure who said this but the stern expression from the tired adventurers only infuriated him further. There was a sudden flash of light and the nine adventurers vanished from sight with the Gith looking towards their master from instructions.

“Enjoy your stay in the hell you’ve made for yourself.”

Slayer turned his attention toward the Lich Queen who flashed him a final smile before she too completely faded away.

“NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” Slayer roared with fury as he looked up toward the sky.

xxxx

“ _Now Beloved, remove the blade!_ ”

Goblin Slayer tore the blade out of his shoulder, and although there was the pain of his stab wound, his body no longer felt as if it was racked with pain. He looked toward his sword, surprised to see the once black blade now dark red.

“ _How are you feeling Beloved?_ ”

Goblin Slayer was slightly surprised to find the voice of the Lich Queen was no longer just in his mind but seemed to be coming from the blade in his hand.

“You are…in the blade?”

“ _I am. I will answer all your questions once this battle is concluded but for now summon me! Call out…Come forth Lich Queen!_ ”

Goblin Slayer was back on his feet and could see the hobs and the goblins closing in, for now he would trust in what the Lich Queen was saying.

“Come forth Lich Queen.” Goblin Slayer’s voice was as mechanical as ever despite all he had been through.

The blade began to glow within his hand and suddenly there was a bolt of lighting the struck the ground near Goblin Slayer. From the lightning bolt was a red plume of smoke which finally took on physical form until the human form of the Lich Queen stood before the horde of goblins. The shaman and the others looked at the buxom beauty before them and began to laugh while licking their lips as they imagined all the fun they would have with her until she finally expired. While this was going on, Goblin Slayer quickly reached into his pouch and down his final stamina potion and healing potion while an unseen Burglar maneuvered behind the goblins.

“You wretched creatures, how dare you hurt Beloved!”

The Lich Queen’s eyes were surrounded by a red glow and her body once again changed into a plume of black smoke which grew larger and larger until it took the shape of a massive figure shrouded in darkness with a skeletal face and golden crown atop its head. The goblins were surprised and terrified by the sight of the figure who towered over them. The shaman raised his staff to attack this massive being when he was suddenly struck by something, he screamed as a red blade could be seen imbedded in his chest. Many of the goblins saw what happened to their leader then turned their attention back to see Goblin Slayer back on his feet with mace in hand, his left eye ablaze within his helmet.

“Before you concern yourself with him, you should be more terrified of me!”

The Lich Queen gave a wave of her hand towards the three hobgoblins, instantaneously they were turned to ice. She created a long, curved sword within her hand and shattered the hobgoblins. Before the goblins could run away and unseen figure began to slash at them from behind, the goblins could only see the glowing blue blade floating through the air as it cut them down one by one. Suddenly from the front was Goblin Slayer charging forward with mace in hand smashing through the remaining goblins, venting his anger at them for all the injuries they had inflicted upon him. Burglar quickly removed the ring from his finger as he killed the final goblin near him, smirking that Goblin Slayer and this mysterious creature had not seen him.

“ _Quite useful this thing…my precious._ ” Burglar smiled as he slipped the ring back into his pocket and slowly approached his pupil.

Goblin Slayer marched forward with mace in hand to retrieve his sword, the shaman struggling to remove the sword while reaching for his staff. Before he could reach it, a heavy foot came crashing down upon its left hand breaking the bones. The shaman cried out and as it looked up saw the armored figure towering over him, almost appeared to be a demon as the lighting flashed overhead.

“And with you…that is 51.” Goblin Slayer was cold in reply as he raised his mace then brought it down crushing the shaman’s skull.

With the final goblin slain, Goblin Slayer placed his mace along his right side and withdrew his sword once again examining the red blade before walking back toward his master and the Lich Queen. The Lich Queen returned to her more human form and smiled as her Beloved returned with sword in hand.

“That’s the last one. The village is safe.”

“What, no thanks for your Master? I could have easily walked past this village and let you alone.”

“Yes, you’re right…thank you.” Goblin Slayer calmly bowed his head toward his master.

“Bah, with that tone you don’t sound very thankful.” Burglar smirked as he turned and took his leave of his pupil and the mystery woman. “It would seem that you have yourself a powerful ally there, as well as those in your party. Perhaps with their help, you’ll truly be able to slay all the goblins.”

“I will.” Goblin Slayer was as emotionless as ever, even after his body felt better than it had mere minutes ago. “Farewell Master.”

“Remember boy, don’t become the thing you’re fighting against…it is the small things that matter the most in this world.”

Burglar continued to walk away even as the heavy rain began to let up and turned into a steady drizzle. Goblin Slayer turned his attention back toward the Lich Queen, what his master had said confirmed that the Lich Queen was truly in front of him.

“You are here before me?”

“Yes and with that…” The Lich Queen calmly walked toward Goblin Slayer with arms raised then calmly and gently hugged him. “I’ve been wanting to do that for such a long time with a physical body.”

The Lich Queen broke the embrace and took a couple steps back from Goblin Slayer and smiled as she looked toward Goblin Slayer.

“My body…the pain is gone. The curse?”

“I bound my blood to that blade, the remainder of my soul is now within your hands. The curse has been lifted. Now I must complete the ritual…” The Lich Queen slowly bent down and took a knee before Goblin Slayer bowing her head to him. “I swear to follow your directions from here until my destruction my master. Your enemies are my enemies. Your allies are my allies. I am your blade to be used at your discretion.”

A red glow surrounded her body and the same red glow radiated off the blade within Goblin Slayer’s hand. As the glow dissipated, the Lich Queen found her become rather transparent and her feet had faded away as her body effortlessly floated.

“Your body?”

“I have used quite a bit of my magic to create this ritual, so I am now limited on how much I can use per day. As you summon me, I can only maintain my physical form for so long and the more magic I use the less time I can maintain a physical body.” The Lich Queen had a slight frown on her face as she thought about this but smiled as she floated over toward Goblin Slayer. “Even in this form I can still be of service to you.”

“This sword…if goblins were to wield it.”

“I have ensured that should any goblin even attempt it to take hold they will be frozen solid. Only you and your allies may wield this blade…though I prefer if you are the only one. Know that my soul is bound to this blade, once it is broken I shall be truly dead, gone from this world and the next so please…try to be more careful with it and always retrieve me.“ The Lich Queen’s smile faded as she looked toward Goblin Slayer as wished to clear the air. “Beloved…I am sorry for all the harm I have caused you. I wish to atone for all I’ve done. Please don’t toss me aside and let me continue to accompany you but in a more helpful manner.”

Goblin Slayer was silent as he looked toward the ghostly figure of the Lich Queen, curious of the change in her demeanor over these four months.

“You seem different from before.”

“Perhaps what I was missing was the companionship of those I could trust. I will have to give up on destroying the mortal races…or rather I shall focus my anger on the goblins.” The Lich Queen chuckled as she looked toward Goblin Slayer.

“I see.” Goblin Slayer looked toward the sword once again before sheathing the blade. “Are the others safe?”

“They will be awaiting your return Beloved.”

“Then let’s go.” Goblin Slayer dispassionately replied as he calmly walked away from the village to head back home.

“At once Beloved.” The visage of the Lich Queen vanished as she returned to the blade to travel with Goblin Slayer.

Goblin Slayer paused as he gave the village one final look over, there was still something about this place especially given the rain and the sight of the goblins that seem almost familiar to him.

“ _Something wrong Beloved?_ ”

“No…nothing is wrong.” Goblin Slayer returned his attention back to the road and slowly made his way home.

xxxx

“Teacher! What are you doing here?”

The exhausted Hero was surprised to find the old nun from her village present at the guild. Though still exhausted she happily embraced the sister and was happy to see so many familiar faces from her village here. The other exhausted adventurers were assisted at the guild, given a hearty meal, their wounds tended to and drinks laced with stamina potions to begin the healing process. Cow Girl, Guild Girl and the others were happy to see the others had returned safely though they were still concerned about Goblin Slayer especially with the return of all these people Purveyor Girl had brought back with her.

“Hey it’s the Hero?”

“We were wondering when you’d come back to see us?”

“What’s this, you become a world saving hero and suddenly you’re too good to come back as see the people who raised you?”

“No I….wait what are you all doing here in Frontier Town? Did something happen to the village?”

“A horde of goblins attacked us last night. We had feared that no one would come when this young woman and a strange adventurer arrived.” The elderly nun motioned toward Purveyor Girl beside her.

Hero looked toward Purveyor Girl and bowed her head towards her while Purveyor Girl sheepishly smiled back.

“Thank you for getting them safely back here. I…I don’t know what I would have done if I was to know that my village…my home was destroyed with me not knowing about it or being able to have saved it.”

“No, you don’t have to thank me, I only guided them back here. I’m just thankful that we made it back before the storm.” Purveyor Girl looked out the window as the lightning flashed and the thunder rolled in. “The one you should be thanking is Goblin Slayer. He…he chose to stay behind to defend the village.”

“Goblin Slayer…he’s gone to save my village…again?”

“Orcbolg went out alone? Why…why didn’t anyone go with him?”

“He…he chose to go alone.” Guild Girl frowned as she looked toward the stormy night sky. “If…if you were unsuccessful, he wanted to make sure he could not hurt anyone nearby.”

“What’s that I hear? Goblin Slayer had gone to deal with goblins alone while he’s cursed?” Spearman frowned as he thought about the hack in the cheap armor. “Damn fool, must have rocks for brains.”

“Did you all manage to destroy the Slayer or whatever he’s called?” Half-Dragon Mother was concerned for the well being of her love as she continued to tend to his injuries.

“We…we failed to stop him.” Lizard Priest frowned as he looked toward the ground.

“But that means…is Big Brother going to be alright?” Half-Dragon Daughter was worried as she looked toward her mama and papa for an answer.

The nine adventurers who had gone through hell and back could not give the young girl an answer as they too were worried for the well-being of Goblin Slayer.

“What if we get a group together to head for this village. We can give Goblin Slayer some much needed backup while you all rest.” Heavy Warrior was more than ready to return the favor and help his friend in battle.

Female Knight, Spearman and the others who knew Goblin Slayer well were also ready to jump in to aid their comrade.

“It will take several hours even my carriage for us to reach the village, if you go by foot it should be about three days. By the time you reach it…I doubt there’d be anything you could do.” Hero frowned as she looked to the group and cursed her own inability to be able to aid her village.

“He’ll be back.”

Everyone turned to find Cow Girl near one of the windows with a small smile on her face as she gently stroked Snow’s head while Wolf slept by her feet.

“I have faith that he will beat this curse and will return to us. He’s never broken a promise before so let us wait.” Cow Girl continued to smile as she looked toward others.

Still concerned, they all agreed they would wait the three days before they made any attempt to track Goblin Slayer down. With the next morning, Half-Dragon Daughter along with Wolf and Snow would be up bright and early looking towards the road for any sign of her brother. When she felt she could not see anything, she would use her wings to fly as high as possible to look down the road for any sign of him. With a disappointed sigh she descended back to the ground when both dire wolves whined as they nuzzled up against her.

“No sign of him.” Half-Dragon Daughter frowned as she petted the two dire wolves when she noted something odd about Snow. “Snow…have you been over eating? You see bigger than I remember.”

The next day was the same, but now it was not just Half-Dragon Daughter anxiously waiting for Goblin Slayer but the entire Guild. The adventurers now fully recovered would wait with Half-Dragon Daughter by the front of the Guild for any sign of Goblin Slayer. Finally the third day was upon them, right at the start of the day, the group was there waiting as before but as the morning drew closer towards lunch, there was real concern that perhaps Goblin Slayer had fallen to the goblins which meant would they be encountering the physical body of the Slayer.

“If…if he’s no longer the Goblin Slayer we know, what are we prepared to do?” Half-Demon Thief was genuinely concerned at the thought of having to attack Goblin Slayer.

“I don’t know lass, I really don’t know.” Dwarf Shaman sighed as he nursed his fire wine.

Cow Girl and Guild Girl stayed with Half-Dragon Daughter as she continued to play with both dire wolves. The two large wolves ears began to twitch as they riaed their heads and began to sniff the air; the others quickly took notice of this and it was Female Knight who took in a deep breath and too could smell it.

“It’s him, he’s returned.”

Goblin Slayer’s party, friends and colleagues eagerly rushed out of the Guild and looked out toward the road and there they could see a lone figure coming over the hill. He was a figure in dirty leather armor with a small shield attached to his left arm, a flanged mace hanging from his right side and mediums length sword sheathed on his left side. His armor looked even worse than before covered in cracks and dents, his left shoulder exposed for all to see.

“ _His shoulder…I don’t see the black mark anymore._ ” Cow Girl clutched her hands to her chest as she anxiously waited to see how he was.

Goblin Slayer could see the large number of people outside the Guild and stopped as he wondered what they were all doing. He was only ten feet away from them, neither group able to move that is until both dire wolves trotted over towards him and nuzzled up against his body.

“It is good to see you Wolf and Snow.” Goblin Slayer turned his attention back to the others and replied in his normal dispassionate speech. “I have returned. The goblins have been dealt with.”

Cow Girl rushed forward towards him and was quickly followed by the others as she eagerly threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. The others added to this as they hugged them, there was crying and cheering from the adventurers to see their Goblin Slayer finally returned to them.

“Welcome back.” Cow Girl continued to cry as she buried her head in his chest.

The group finally gave him some breathing room and carefully looked over his body to check for any serious damages.

“You’re back Goblin Slayer.” Priestess happily wiped her eys as she smiled at her teacher. “Does that mean…”

“The curse has been removed.”

“Then the Lich Queen’s sacrifice worked.” Hero had a solemn smile as she felt bad that the Lich Queen had to sacrifice herself.

“Sacrifice?” Goblin Slayer was confused by the statement.

“ _Perhaps now is a good time to reveal myself._ ”

Everyone heard the feminine voice but could not see who had spoken when suddenly a ghostly figure appeared beside Goblin Slayer.

“The Lich Queen.” High Elf Archer was surprised to see her, and she was not the only one surprised by this.

“You were worried about me, how sweet.” The Lich Queen smiled as she looked over everyone.

“That is not true…wait what the hell are you doing here?” Hero frowned as she now saw the figure back before them.

“I have removed my curse from Beloved and attached my soul to his blade. I am now Beloved’s summons…I look forward to working with you all.”

“You what?”

xxxx

“You’ll be acting as his familiar?” Priestess puffed out her cheeks in annoyance as she looked over the ghost figure of the Lich Queen.

Back in the Guild there was massive celebration for Goblin Slayer overcoming the cruse and saving the Hero’s village from the Goblin threat. At a large table, Goblin Slayer’s friends and comrades suspiciously looked over the ghostly figure as she happily floated around the table.

“Not familiar, but his summons. When Beloved summons me I can assume physical form to fight and use my magic, though I am much weaker than before so if I use too much magic I shall return to this form.”

“Why would you even need to assume physical form, and please stop referring to Goblin Slayer as Beloved.” Guild Girl too frowned at how friendly she was with Goblin Slayer.

“It is of course to aid Beloved in whatever capacity is needed…he is my master after all.” The Lich Queen had a devilish smiled as she floated over behind Goblin Slayer and hugged him. “Should Beloved need companionship on those cold lonely nights, who am I to deny him?”

The immediate reaction this brought out of the women around them made the Lich Queen giggle.

“That won’t be needed.”

Goblin Slayer’s comment was as cold as ice immediately taking the fight out of the Lich Queen and the others, all the while he ate his meal, completely disinterested in what was going on.

“You’re no fun Beloved, you could have at least gone along with it even if it was for a brief moment.” The Lich Queen pouted then had a serious look about her face as she looked back towards the others. “In all seriousness, I will aid you all in whatever form is needed. I can act as a lookout while you rest, used my magic to aid you in battle, and all my knowledge is at your disposal. Only Beloved and those who are his allies may wield this blade, any others will be frozen solid as the final curse I have upon this weapon.”

“If that’s the case, I say we break the sword.” Half-Demon Thief smirked as she turned her gaze from the Lich Queen to Goblin Slayer’s sword.

“Such a cruel joke and after I’ve come to tell you that I will be of use to you all.”

Goblin Slayer calmly stood drawing the others attention as they found him looking over his body.

“Is everything alright Orcbolg?” High Elf Archer was worried that there might be some lingering effect from the curse.

“I’m going to drop off my armor, it is far too damaged to be of use at the moment.”

There was a brief pause from the others before they all broke out into a big laugh Goblin Slayer looked toward them curiously.

“Something never do change Beardcutter. It is good to have you back.”

“Is that so?”’

“Beloved, if you wouldn’t mind please leave the sword here…there is something I need to speak with the others about.”

The sudden reply from the Lich Queen caught them all by surprise and they looked back toward Goblin Slayer to see how he would respond.

“Very well.”

Goblin Slayer left his blade on the spot where he had been sitting as he calmly made his way down stairs to the blacksmith.

“Now then…I will admit to you all that even though I do love Beloved, I cannot be the one to make him happy.” The Lich Queen frowned as she looked toward the women to see their surprised faces. “As long as I can be of use to him, then I am happy. I trust him to you, among you all he may be able to find peace. Don’t make the same mistake I made.”

There was silence among the adventurers around the table; Cow Girl, Guild Girl, High Elf Archer, Priestess, Half-Demon Thief, Sword Maiden and Hero looked toward her as they contemplated her words. The Lich Queen before she faded away to return to the sword, several minutes later Goblin Slayer returned in his replacement armor took up his sword and sheathed it once again.

“Did she get to speak with you?”

“Yes, but it’s not important now, today let’s celebrate.” Cow Girl smiled as she and the others returned to feast before them.

Later that day, the Hero and her party would personally make sure that her Teacher and the rest of the village were safely escorted back home. Sword Maiden and her attendants loaded their own wagons with Purveyor Girl to return back to Water Town. Goblin Slayer and the rest of his party and friends stood by the Guild to say their goodbyes.

“You saved my village once again from the threat of goblins. I can’t even begin to repay you for your heroics, but you have my thanks.” Hero was gracious as she bowed her head toward Goblin Slayer.

“You don’t have to thank me. I am not a hero, just Goblin Slayer.”

“It is because you are Goblin Slayer that so many villages have been saved, so in a way you are a hero even if you don’t believe it yourself.” Sword Maiden smiled warmly as she looked toward Goblin Slayer and the others. “Until the day we are all able to meet again.”

“Agreed. Be safe on your journey Goblin Slayer and avoid any further curses.” Hero waved as she and her party set off with the wagons to return to her village.

The adventurers at the Guild smiled and waved as the two different caravans departed from the village to begin the journey home. Though everyone was happy that no one was lost during this whole struggle, there was the lingering words of the Slayer that remained in the back of everyone’s mind. Slayer was attempting to become the God of Destruction, but he had mentioned the God of Resurrection, the strange flesh golem Spearman and Heavy Warrior had brought back was proof that there was still trouble on the horizon. When it would rear its ugly head was anyone’s guess, but the adventurers would be ready to act when it did.

xxxx

In the ruined remains of the mountain stronghold, the Slayer sat with his hands in a steepled position as he looked out over the horizon. Within his armor, he seethed with anger at his ultimate defeat and in his gaze, he was not seeing the view before him, but planning his revenge against those who wronged him.

“ _Unlike my counterpart…I can be patient. A year from now…a hundred years…a thousand years…I can wait. I’ll bide my time; I can’t be denied forever._ ” Slayer chuckled as he thought about all he would do against the mortals. “ _My time will come; the Physical Realm will come to fear the Slayer. I will have my revenge against you and your friends Goblin Slayer and should you or your descendants be in that world…I will slaughter you with my bare hands.”_

**Author’s Note: I could not wait to get this chapter out, hopefully no one is disappointed with the length of the Wraith Arc. Like any good villain, the Slayer will return…it’s just a matter of time.**

**Before I fully dive into the Necromancer Arc, I want one final filler section, this will be the Vampire Lord section I was mentioning some time ago which will focus on our younger adventurers (I did bring Fighter back for a reason), and as the quest continues, Priestess, Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric will run into two familiar faces from the Training Camp LN.**

**UPDATE: Thanks Jade Imperia and JadeRovks, I saw what you meant by that ending I types earlier, so I went ahead and fixed to better suit the situation. The previous ending did imply that GS was immortal although…his spirit might be inherited by another.**


	59. Chapter 59

The King awoke from his dream with a start; he placed his left hand against the left side of his head. His body was drenched with sweat as it took him a few moments to check his surroundings where he found himself within his bedchamber. With a final grunt he stood and walked toward the window and looked out over the capital. His castle was in the center of the capital where he ruled; the capital itself was massive, not merely the home for hundreds but thousands, the massive city was broken up into several town sized districts each governed by people personally selected by the king, those who had fought alongside his own party when they first went to deal with the Demon Lord. Like Water Town, massive canals crisscrossed the massive city allowing for merchants to bring in and sell their goods to the people.

“It’s still there…peaceful for the time being.” The King sighed as a small smile crossed his face.

In his dream he, Sword Maiden and the Hero battled wave after wave of horrid monsters, but these monsters had been citizens and his own soldiers moments before they transformed. The trio continued to battle as the capital was set ablaze around them and before he awoke he could see a figure shrouded in darkness looking over them as a sinister laughed escaped his lips.

“Just a dream but why do I still feel uneasy?”

The door to his bedchamber opened and his attendants entered and bowed their heads toward him.

“Good morning my lord, I see that you have already awakened.”

“Indeed, just looking over everything.” The King frowned as a new thought crossed his mind that could account for the unease he felt. “Have we finally located him?”

“No sir. The murderer referred to as the Highway Man has not been apprehended though…his handy work is still plain for all to see.”

Over the last few nights multiple bodies had been discovered in two of the nearby districts. The victims included local citizens and some of his own knights; the poor souls looked as if they had been hacked apart by some horrendous blade, other appeared to have been torn apart barehanded.

“ _It would seem that whoever helped him escape, has given him new arms to use in his revenge. What worries me is the reports of the scene of his attacks, bloodstains upon the walls nearly ten feet high. How the hell could he have done something like that?_ ”

“Double the patrols in the areas his attacks have been focused in, he is a creature of habit. Continue to advise the people in the area to remain in door come nighttime.”

“At once my lord.”

“What of the reports of oddly dressed individuals robbing graves or the odd monsters sighted in the countryside? Any connection to the Demon Lord or his worshipers? And have any of the other kingdom reported these strange occurrences?”

“We are continuing to monitor the reports from people and adventurers, nothing within the capital yet. These men don’t appear to be with the demon lord, only the dead have been scavenged, no living victims have been abducted for sacrifice. The nearest kingdom to us has not mentioned any sightings themselves, their king has replied that we should be able to take care of our own problems and not bother them unless it concerns the fate of the world.”

“ _Damn pompous fool, his arrogance was present at our war council as well, only interested in the spoils of the war. How I wish his older brother had survived, fair and compassionate man, he would have made a fine king. I shudder to think what kind of treatment that fool king is forcing upon his people._ ” The King sighed in frustration as he saw the sun begin to rise over the horizon and a final check of the capital reassured him that there would be peace for the moment. “Send word major settlements like Water Town and Mountain Pass to be on guard.”

“At once my Lord.”

“ _Not even two full years since the resurrection of the Demon Lord and were still trying to finish the repairs to the Capital yet I fear that something big is on the horizon…these small disturbances are just the beginning._ ”

xxxx

Deep in the bowels of the sewer, the monstrous Highway Man stalked through the large underground passage with half the body of woman in his hands. He brought the corpse to his and took a bite of her flesh as if he were eating a turkey leg. He chuckled to himself as he neared the main chamber where the Necromancer and his Faceless Men were working on next experiment.

“Ah Highway Man…I trust your nightly activities have been successful once again?”

“Is that not obvious by the snack in my hands?”

“I trust the modifications we made for you have been useful?”

His once torn clothing had been repaired as the Faceless Men went about stitching together various pieces of cloth and leather to replicate the former attire. Though it was clear the clothing was nothing more than patchwork, Highway man was more than appreciative, especially with all the new weapons provided for him. Long swords and claymores had been seized and reshaped to look more like the jagged daggers Highway Man had been using when he roamed the countryside. Highway Man went about store all the blades within his waistcoat and belt.

“It fits like a glove.” Highway Man chuckled then looked over the latest experiment. “What the hell are you working on now?”

On the large table was the corpse of a massive creature covered in white fur, the visible parts of his flesh like its face and hands were gray in color. Through the aid of another group of hunters, Necromancer had procured three yetis, the other two angrily banged against there cages while the third lay motionless. The top of its head had the fur removed and there were signs that a large cut had been made all the way around the skull. Nearby the body was the corpse of one of the Faceless Men, the top of his head had been cut precisely and the brain could not be seen.

“While having the people around us turn into monsters will be sufficient enough to test my theory of chaos, what they need is something to guide them in my absence. That is where this experiment will come in, by transplanting the mind of one of my followers into this beast…I will have created another masterpiece.” Necromancer smiled as he finished the last of the stitching and reached for a vial of the elixir. “Now…let us see what happens next.”

Necromancer poured the fluorescent, green liquid into the mouth of the yeti and took a step back to watch with anticipation what would happen. In his mind, if this body did not work out, he still had two other yetis to experiment on. The Highway Man, Faceless Men and Necromancer watched the as the body began to trash about violently, the once dead creature suddenly roared with life as it got off the massive table and stood, standing nearly as tall as the Highway Man. Necromancer smiled as he approached the revived yeti who directed its red eyes at the man in the dark robes.

“My loyal follower, can you understand me?”

The yeti curiously looked at Necromancer, its mind slowly recalling everything from the past body and attempting to function within this one.

“Ma…mas…master. I…hear and…obey.” The yeti struggled to speak but finally recalled everything and bowed its head towards the Necromancer.

“Magnificent.” Necromancer had a sinister smile that crossed his face as he looked up toward the yeti. “Now…can you use the beasts magic?”

The newly resurrected yeti looked towards its hands, it growled as the human mind tried to force the yeti body to reproduce ice. Little by little a mist began to form from the palm until finally it managed to create shards of ice within its hand.

“That will do nicely. What do you think my Highway Man?”

“So long as this beast doesn’t get in my way of slaughtering the innocent, I have no problems.”

“Continue to push that body to its limits until you are able to freely use its ice magic.” Necromancer chuckled before turning towards the others Faceless Men. “We have two more of these Ice Giants to create and tell the others I need two more volunteers.”

xxxx

“So there I was, surrounded by the Gith in the Astral Plane, Scaly and Long Ears were on their last legs when I came in used my Stone Blast to save them.” Dwarf Shaman smiled as he told Half-Dragon Daughter all about their adventurers in the Astral Plane.

“What’s happening?” High Elf Archer looked around the Guild Hall with a confused look on her face. “Did…did I die back there?”

“Even as they closed in and I was out of spells…I had my trusty ax to keep me going!”

“Wow! You’re amazing Grandpa!” Half-Dragon Daughter turned her stary eyes towards her father. “Is all of that true papa?”

“Sir Mage does like to embellish a bit unfortunately.” Lizard Priest chuckled as he happily ate his cheese.

“You’re grandpa has been helping himself to more of his fire wine I think.” Half-Dragon Mother smiled as she cleared the empty plates from their table. “Anything else my love?”

“You spoil me enough my dear.”

“That’s it then. I died back in the Astral Plane and am now trapped here in this hell forced to listen to this fat dwarf’s exaggerations.” High Elf Archer laughed as she nursed her mug of wine. “And here I was worried for a bit.”

“Bah. What the point of telling an exciting story if you don’t add a few extra details here and there.” Dwarf Shaman smiled as he continued to drink his fire wine.

Life at the Guild was back to normal, and while the rest of Goblin Slayer’s party conversed and told their stories to the young Half-Dragon Daughter, their leader spoke with his colleagues.

“There was a goblin face attached to the body?”

Goblin Slayer had a moment to speak with Heavy Warrior and Spearman about the odd monster they had discovered. The beast, a flesh golem, was created using the body parts of various beings, with the left nothing more than elongated claw while the right side had two smaller arms for grabbing. A week had passed since his fight with the goblins in the village of the Hero, though he had overcome the curse, he was forbidden to undertake any quests until he had at least a full seven days to rest. During these seven days he would continue with his training with his sling and Southern throwing knife, the rest of his party had come by to visit with him. Three days ago, Priestess and Half-Demon Thief had been invited by Rookie Warrior and his party to accompany them on a quest since they had been invited earlier on.

“That night those people came in, they mentioned sighting these odd monsters around the area, nothing like the goblins, trolls or what have they would normally encounter.” Heavy Warrior sighed as he nursed his drink wondering what could have created such a beast.

“About five days after they took you to the temple, we found the beats and slayed it. The creature had a tough hide, even the big guy’s sword couldn’t split it in two as he did with the goblin champion.” Spearman too drank his ale as he conversed with Goblin Slayer. “As bad as the monster was, I’m surprised you were putting up with a curse for almost four months and it’s the damn Lich Queen of all things. Speaking of which, where is she?”

“ _I am hear Spearman, always listening and ready to offer what aid I can._ ” Though not present, the Lich Queen’s voice could be heard emanating from Goblin Slayer’s sword. “ _Back to the creature you described, it sounds like a flesh golem, similar to a war-forged, it is an artificial construct given new life._ ”

“So is it like the undead you were controlling in the north?” Spearman found it odd to be talking to basically thin air since the Lich Queen had not materialized before them.

“ _Not quite, the undead I controlled were nothing more than puppets, there only function was to feed. These creatures are living once again; life, the soul…whatever you want to call it, has been reintroduced into these creatures. They are thinking, even if it is simple thoughts, they can understand direction from their Master…the one who reassembled them…this Necromancer._ ”

“Assuming you’re right and we’re dealing with a Necromancer, where could this individual be hiding to be able to release them in different locations and not be seen?” Spearman finished his beer and raised his hand to order another.

“ _That is also assuming there is only one Necromancer. Do not forget that man in the plague mask who silenced the salvers and himself in front of Beloved’s party. I would imagine that if you find these men, you’ll find your answers._ ”

“This Necromancer appears to be using the goblins for his own purposes…that alone is enough to stop him.” Goblin Slayer too finished his beer as he thought about a person using the goblins, someone similar to Beast Master.

“Glad to see that you have your priorities set there Goblin Slayer. Heaven forbid this actually ends up saving the world.” Spearman chuckled before drinking his ale.

“Speaking of goblins, when the people came in, they did mention seeing creatures that looked like massive goblins.” Heavy Warrior smirked as he knew saying this would immediately set Goblin Slayer on to his next quest.

“Possibly Goblin Champions…I’ll have to start my investigations tomorrow.”

“You all purposely want him to get back out there and fight again don’t you?”

The angry voice brought a smile to Spearman and Heavy Warrior’s face as they turned to see the angry High Elf Archer, Lizard Priest and Dwarf Shaman approach them in the tavern.

“You’ve only had a week to rest, you need more time Orcbolg.” High Elf Archer worried that he was putting far too much stress on his body, and she was not alone. “ _These humans don’t live very long, after a certain point their bodies no longer respond they way they want it to, I wish he would slow down._ ”

“She’s right Beardcutter, I’d recommend at least another week so that you’ve fully recovered.”

“Not necessary, I’ve had my body checked over and if I continue to rest, more goblins will show up.”

“Then if you are truly set to investigate these tales of massive goblins, **we** shall accompany you.” Lizard Priest smiled as he nodded his head in approval. “Though I know you are a capable adventurer, as your friend I do worry you push yourself too much.”

“Thank you. We’ll depart in the morning and we’ll bring Wolf and Snow with us.”

That evening, Goblin Slayer returned back to the farm to make one final inspection of the grounds before going inside the farmhouse to eat. Wolf and Snow trotted over to playfully rub up against Goblin Slayer who went about calmly petting their heads. Goblin Slayer then paused as he studied Snow, he carefully went about pressing her sides as the dire wolf curiously looked toward him.

“Hmm.”

“How far along do you think she is?”

Goblin Slayer turned to see Cow Girl smile as she walked toward him and the dire wolves, they themselves happily approached her and nuzzled up against her.

“Wolves got into heat during February and March, judging by her current size…she’s nearly one month along.”

“Hear that Wolf…you’re going to be a father.” Cow Girl smiled as she scratched the top of Wolf’s head. “ _Not even half a year in and already he and Snow had been quite busy. That dream I had…that daughter we had…from what the Lich Queen said I need to be more proactive, otherwise I’ll miss out on my chance._ ”

“A month…maybe five weeks.”

“How big can the little be?”

“As big as nine…as small as one…I think she’ll have three, maybe four.”

“When that does happen, we’ll have to make sure to name each and every one of them.”

“Tomorrow morning, my party, the dire wolves and I are going to investigate those claims of the monstrous goblins.”

Cow Girl sighed as she looked up toward Goblin Slayer with a frown upon her face.

“Afterall you’ve been through, you’re going back?” Cow Girl like the others was not happy by this news.

“I need to make sure that goblin champions aren’t moving into the area. If they’re part of a horde, they need to be dealt with. I’m also making sure not to do this alone, I’m…trying to be more careful and considerate of others.”

Cow Girl was indeed surprised to hear the last part from him, and with a final sigh smiled as she relented in her attempt to stop him.

“You be careful out there, even with Wolf and Snow with you, please don’t over do it.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Come on then, let’s get some dinner.”

xxxx

Priestess and Half-Demon Thief were happy to once again be traveling with Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric, but now they also were lucky to have Fighter alongside them. Among the group was an middle-aged figured in a plain tunic and white hair, to most he would appear to be just an old man, what was most unique about him were the two long hears above his head. The old man was a member of the Harefolk, sometimes preferred to as Grasswalkers, he had come to the guild in search of adventurers to aid their village. An unknown group of mercenaries had been attacked their village, stealing away several of their people, injuring others who attempted to stop them.

“Strange they didn’t try to kill any of the villagers?” Half-Demon Thief pondered aloud as they continued toward the village.

“You think there’s a chance they’re still alive?” Rookie Warrior turned toward his colleague as they continued on.

“There’s a possibility, I was thinking as an assassin and thief myself, I would not want to leave any witnesses around.” Half Demon Thief carefully eyed the Older Harefolk beside them. “ _It’s highly unlikely that any of them are still alive, but I can’t tell him that._ ”

“I am just thankful that I was able to find five capable adventurers to aid me and my village against these bandits.” Older Harefolk smiled as she looked around at the five adventurers. “My own Son wishes to become an adventurer himself and went out to find others to aid our village as well.”

“Is that right, what type of skills does your daughter employ?” Apprentice Cleric was happy to discuss these pleasant matters rather than focus on anything negative at the moment.

“He’s an accomplished Arbalist. I taught him myself.”

“Arbalist?” Apprentice Cleric was not too familiar with the term.

“It means he’s proficient with a crossbow.” Fighter corrected her friend when she noticed the village starting to come into view. “I see a village up ahead.”

“That would be it, it’s a bit of a trek from here to Frontier Town and back, but I’m thankful for your aid in this matter.”

The party entered the village late in the afternoon, were they were greeted by the others in the villagers with warm smiles.

“Father, you made it back!”

A new voiced drew everyone’s attention to the side to see a young male Harefolk walling towards him. Like his father, he too had long ears above his head, but had blonde hair as opposed to his father’s white hair; he was dressed in a familiar tunic like his father, blue in color, with a dark green over it. As expected of an archer his armor was very light to allow for mobility, he had a simple chest plate across his chest, along his wrists and forearms were black leather bracers and metal greaves to protect his shins. Slung over his shoulder was his crossbow and along his back was a quiver filled with his arrows.

“I’m glad to see you as well son.”

Older Harefolk eagerly extended his arm out to his son where both took hold of the other’s wrist.

“How many did you manage to find father?”

“Five fine adventurers. What of you?”

“I ran into these two on my journey.”

Behind him were two figures, one was a young boy with glasses and red hair with staff in hand while the other was a much shorter girl wearing light armor and black leggings, a short sword and shield attached to her back, the one thing both had in common was the obsidian tags around their necks. Though Fighter and Half-Demon Thief were unfamiliar with the two, Priestess, Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric were delighted to see these two.

“It’s you two, I’m so happy we were able to meet again.” Priestess was immediately happy to see Wizard Boy and Rhea Fighter.

“Well we meet ag…wait what is that round your neck!” Wizard Boy was shocked as he pointed to tag around.

Priestess was a bit confused as she looked at her tag and remembered that when they last saw her, she was Steel ranked and now she had finally moved up Sapphire after their rescue of the young women three months ago. Wizard Boy looked towards all of them and could see the others also had Obsidian tags around their necks, save one person.

“You just wait, I’ll be moving to Gold soon enough.” Wizard Boy turned his face away from the rest with a pout present on his face.

“It’s good to see you again. Oh, I see some new faces.” Rhea Fighter smiled as she spotted the two new faces within the group.

“My apologies, these are our comrades, Half-Demon Thief is part of my party’s group while Fighter is a part of the Rookie Warrior’s party. We’ve formed a temporary party to aid the Harefolk.”

“A pleasure to meet you.” Rhea Fighter smiled as she bowed her head toward the two new figures.

“A demon thief? And you’re part of the Guild?” Wizard Boy was surprised to hear this.

“Half-Demon, but yes I am registered with the Guild.”

“Well as someone who already had experience with these ones, I’ll be more than happy to take you under my wing. Just try to keep…up?”

Wizard Boy suddenly noticed the thief was gone in the moment he closed his eyes; he began to look around when he felt the tough of cold metal press against his throat. He had not seen her use her agility to leap behind him and bring up her dagger to his throat.

“I am so pleased that you’ll be teaching me…and if you’re lucky I’ll be teaching you.” Half-Demon Thief smirked as she whispered this into his ear as seductively as possible. “I’m a trained assassin so I’m quite adept in dispatching unwanted individuals.”

“Wait…please don’t hurt…him?”

Priestess stopped herself when she noticed that Half-Demon Thief held the dull side of her dagger against his throat, Half-Demon Thief smiled as she looked toward Priestess then gave a wink to Rhea Fighter to assure her he would not hurt him. She quickly removed her dagger and tucked it away while Wizard Boy calmly touched his neck to see if there was any bleeding.

“You…you nearly…”

“It’s a little hard to cut your throat with the dull side of my blade. You seemed so confident in your ability so…I though a bit of teasing was in order.” Half-Demon Thief smiled toward the flustered young man then bowed her head towards him. “My apologies. It was in very poor taste…especially as your senior.”

“Senior…how old are you?”

“Just turned 18, and you?” Half-Demon Thief smirked as she looked toward the nervous young man.

“…16…”

Fighter took notice of the young boy, the color of his hair, glasses, face and color of his tunic and cape.

“Priestess…doesn’t he look like the Wizard who was a part of our group.” Fighter leaned over toward Priestess to whisper to her friend about her observations.

“Yes. He is her younger brother.” Priestess had not had the time to share with him that she had known his sister during their time some eight months ago. “ _I’ll have to find the time to share that with him…and offer my sympathies._ ”

Before they could go continue with their conversation any further, Older Harefolk called their attention.

“This is the spot where the bandits entered our village. Must have been about a dozen of them…maybe fifteen.” Harefolk pointed toward the eastern side of their village. “The bandits attacked the houses nearest the edge of the village, we came into action the moment we heard the cries for aid. We managed to kill three of them, they only injured our people rather than kill and escaped with eight of our people. Three children, two females, one young male and two elderly.”

“That’s troublesome. I apologize if my comment sounds rather cold, I am happy that none of your people suffered any fatalities during the attack, but it seems odd they would take such precautions to take live victims and only injure others…even at the cost of their own.” Half-Demon Thief made sure to be as calm and precise in her comments to the Older Harefolk.

“You’re thinking they might have been like those bandits we dealt with three months ago?” Rookie warrior was quick to make the connection to their previous quest.

“That though also crossed my mind.” Half-Demon Thief quickly nodded towards her colleague.

“It sounds as though you’ve seen this group before…or rather a similar group. Then these bandits might be part of an evil sect.” Wizard Boy pondered as he scratched his chin.

“Then…those that were taken, they may…” Rhea Fighter frowned as she imagined the worst-case scenario, much like what she had seen that night on the training grounds.

“We shall operate under the assumption that they are still alive until proven otherwise.” Priestess knew full well that it was highly unlikely but was quick to catch sight of the other villagers around them.

“Agreed. We’ll make sure to secure the village first in case of a second attack then focus on recovery.” Rookie Warrior could also pick up on what Priestess was going for and wanted to reassure the others.

“Thank you.” Older Harefolk bowed his head towards party. “I need to speak with the rest of village, this will allow you the freedom prepare what you need. If there are any other questions you have, please speak with my son.”

With a final bow, Older Harefolk ushered the rest of the villagers back to their houses while the adventurers turned their attention toward son.

“Thank you for your aid uh…” Priestess bowed her head towards the younger Harefolk but had not gotten his name yet.

“I’ve gained the moniker of the Bowman from the village based on my skills as a hunter.” Harefolk Bowman smiled as gave his crossbow a few pats.

“Hunter…aren’t Harefolk vegetarians?” Apprentice Cleric was confused by why he would have the title.

“True, but we’re still expected to be cautious of threats to the village. For the most part it’s been dealing with wild animals, and that’s where I’ve been honing my skills…this recent attack caught most of us all by surprise. I assure you that I will not hold any of you back, so like it or not…I’m your sniper.”

“We’ll be counting on your skill for sure then.” Fighter smiled as the young man did seem confident but did not act overconfident. “What can you tell us about the bandits who attacked?”

“Those that attacked us were human, we disposed of the bodies of the bandits once we had a taken care to check for anything that might have help us identify them.” Harefolk Bowman sighed as he tried to think of anything that might help. “They were armed with daggers but had nothing else that might have identified them.”

“No tattoos or markings? No pieces of jewelry on their person?” Half-Demon Thief pressed for any information that might help them.

“Wait…there was something that all three bodies had in common. On the left side of their necks there were two small puncture marks.” Harefolk Bowman used two of the fingers on his right hand to point to the left side of his neck.

“Two holes in their neck?” Half-Demon Thief frowned as she though about what that meant. “When these bandits took your people, which direction were the heading too?”

“That direction.” Harefolk Bowman pointed towards the east section of the nearby woods.

Through the woods, the party of adventurers could see what looked like a winding path, and far off in the distance they could see some structure near the mountain, much of it seem to be overgrown with the wild plants around it.

“That structure…what is that?” Wizard Boy studied it, even though they were far away from it, the structure was quite large.

“I haven’t seen it myself, but from the stories I’ve heard it is the castle of a fallen minion of evil. It’s been there since I can remember, the lord or whoever took up residence, had fallen during that struggle with the Demon Lord more than ten years ago. It’s about three days travel from here by horse drawn cart…four days if we go by foot.”

“A ruined castle…former stronghold of the forces of darkness…and two holes in the necks of the fallen bandits. It seems like we have our location to investigate.” Half-Demon Thief frowned as she looked out at the castle structure.

“Why the castle? Do you know something we don’t?” Wizard Boy frowned as he felt as if he was being pushed away from a more leader role.

“Based on the sounds of wounds on the necks of the bandits and an abandoned castle structure off in the distance, I’d say it’s safe to say this village is being plagued by a vampire.”

xxxx

Elsewhere within the woods, a lone figure looked over the carnage around him. Around him were the severed bodies of dark-skinned monsters, their bodies almost emaciated, lacking any sexual features it was impossible to tell if they had been male or female, or even what race they were. The lone figure noticed their blood red eyes and extended canine teeth which they had barred at him when they tried to kill him.

“ _Look at them, vampire wretches, lacking in any intelligence and eager to devour anything that crosses their path._ ”

The lone figure was silent as he heard the voice telling him about creatures before him. The figure had long, dark brown hair, his face hidden by the wide-brimmed traveler’s hat atop his head and scarf that covered his nose down to his chin. Below his scarf was a blue gem and much of his body was covered by the faded, black long-coat he wore. In his gloved hand was his long sword, a thin, curved blade nearly as long as his body, he calmly then sheathed this behind his back. He then turned to walk towards a massive steed nearby, this horse’s body was an odd black color with blaring red eyes, its mane and tail were blue in color and seemed to be alive like a flame. The monstrous horse snorted as the lone figure quickly mounted the beast before motioning it to move further into the woods.

“ _Hey Dhampir! Are you even listening to me?_ ”

“These creatures…they’re further from the castle and appeared to be starved. Their master has prepared for any intrusion into the woods. Not an Ancient, yet more prepared than a Fledgling…a Mature perhaps?”

“ _And being the one you are, you intend to hunt it down yes?_ ”

“That is my goal.”

“ _There is a village nearby, you saw it from the hill earlier, Harefolk if I remember. You could always stop by to gather information…perhaps take one or two of their finest women for your pleasure._ ”

“Enough.” The lone rider gave the steed a gentle pat along it head to get it moving.

“ _What wrong…did I strike a nerve there?_ ”

“Another word from you and I’ll slice you off.” His tone was cold as he looked toward his left hand.

“ _Very well, I shall be silent…for now. Let us deal with this vampire._ ”

**Author’s Note: Happy one year anniversary of _Howl of Vengeance_. I had hoped to have the ready by yesterday, July 15th, that would have been the best for a one year posting, unfortunately I’m a day late. My apologies.**

**New challenges and surprises are on the horizon for our parties, and a particular guest character who might be of some aid…assuming he’s able to warm up to the notion of working with this group of young adventurers. Look forward to the meeting of our Dhampir and the adventurers in the next chapter and the master of the castle.**

**Thanks everyone for following the story, despite a couple bumps along the way, I’m happy with the way the story has turned out. Thanks again for all the feedback and critiques, every little bit helps. If you’re eager for some other well written _Goblin Slayer_ stores, I recommend: _Goblin Slayer: What Comes After, Heart Slayer, and Goblin Slayer’s Daughter_. These stories are still works in progress, but man are they written well, give these stories the attention they deserve. Also, read _Taking him on a real adventure_ , for some GS x HEA shipping.**


	60. Chapter 60

“Master.”

The inside of the mansion was sparsely lit by a few well-placed torches, within a grand hall a figure sits upon a throne against the back wall. The figure calmly looks up a lone human approaching, this human is dressed in the finest clothing a servant can wear. His hair is neatly combed, his shoes polished, his button shiny, the only thing that is out of place if his lifeless eyes that stare back. Within his hands is a wine glass filled with a dark red liquid.

“Something to drink?”

“My thanks.” The figure took the glass and brought it to their lips. “What news?”

“A party of adventurers has entered through the forest, more than likely in search of the missing Harefolk.”

“Send out the demons, with the fall of the Demon Lord they are eager for someone to take command over them. If we can, bring them to me alive and unspoiled so that I may have a taste. Is there anything else?”

“Another individual has also entered the forest from a different point. He killed six of the wretches.”

“Another adventurer?” A smirked crossed the face of the individual.

“Unknown. He is a young man with a long sword, wears a wide-brimmed hat, black long-coat with a blue-gem upon his person.”

The figure paused as they drank from the wine glass, they looked toward the servant, for the servant he thought he detected a look of concern on his master’s face.

“A hunter…that description…when night falls, I shall seek him out to confirm his identity.”

xxxx

“Is traveling so close to duck such a wise decision, especially if there is a vampire?” Apprentice Cleric though now obsidian, and now able to use her spell twice a day, was still nervous.

“Surely the seven of us can handle any situation.” Wizard Boy was still brimming with confidence as he too now was able to use two spells a day.

“Eight.” Harefolk Bowman commented with a bit of a frown as the young wizard seemed to ignore him. “Like your friend earlier commented, you should mind your elders.”

“Don’t tell me you’re older than me as well.”

“Nineteen. Besides, you’ll need my assistance if there really is a vampire to deal with.”

“You’re not an adventurer though. How can you deal with a vampire?” Wizard Boy, now realizing he was the youngest member of this group had a frown upon his face.

“To slay a vampire, one method is to drive a stake through the heart of a vampire. That is where these wooden bolts for my crossbow will come in handy.”

“We are very grateful for your assistance with the matter.” Priestess too was a bit nervous about this undertaking but was happy to have some many companions on hand.

“If we’re going to deal with this threat, even if it isn’t a vampire, we need to be on the offensive.” Half-Demon Thief had a stern look on her face but soon smiled as not to worry the others. “You have two capable individuals who will give you plenty of warning when the night comes.”

“Who do you mean?” Fighter was curious who Half-Demon Thief meant.

“With my ears, I’ll be able to listen for the approaching enemy.” Harefolk Bowman smiled as his ears twitched above his head.

“And my eyes are able to see much better in the dark…even if there is no light.” Half-Demon Thief smiled as she looked around the forest.

The group itself made sure to stick to the walking path, avoiding any diverging into the woods, even with the confidence of Half-Demon Thief and Harefolk Bowman, there was still an ominous aura within the woods.

“I’m thankful that your father and the villagers were so kind enough to provide us with food and drink for the trip. Was it really okay for us to have not paid for them?” Priestess frowned at the thought they should have paid for the items needed. “ _Goblin Slayer always made sure to offer monetary compensation for items he needs on a quest._ ”

“No need to worry, the village knows that you’ve come to aid us so providing provision to ensure your success is not a trouble for any of us.” Harefolk Bowman smirked as they continued down the road but soon sighed as he felt he had to discuss their quest. “Now that we’re away from the village, I’d appreciate hearing the truth. What is the likelihood that the others who were taken are still alive?”

The party continued, but the frowns on their faces were evident that the news was not going to be good.

“Very little, more than likely none. The amount of time that has passed between the attack has been too long, and if a vampire is indeed involved…I don’t think we’ll be finding them alive. I’m sorry.” Half-Demon Thief sighed as she told the Harefolk Bowman the truth of the situation.

“No, you have nothing to apologize for. Better to know what lies ahead that be surprised later.” Harefolk Bowman mentally prepared himself for the task at hand. “If we defeat this vampire, bandits or whatever the threat is, peace will return to our village. That’s more than enough cause for me to help you.”

“We’ll keep your village safe, and until we know for sure, we’ll safely recover your people.” Rookie Warrior was confident with a smile as he placed a firm hand on the harefolk’s shoulder.

“You rise up in rank and suddenly you’re starting to sound more heroic.” Apprentice Cleric had a slight blush on her face as she looked toward her comrade.

“I’ve been thinking that we need to start doing more. We may not be silver-ranked like Goblin Slayer, the Spearman, or the Elven Archer…but between all of us, our skills, our techniques, our abilities, we can do this task.”

Rookie Warrior was filled with a sense of pride as he said what he needed to and was delighted to see the confident smiles on the rest of his colleagues.

“Sun’s setting, we better set up camp near the main road, let’s get a fire going.” Harefolk Bowman looked toward the waning light in the sky and knew darkness would soon be upon them.

xxxx

That night same night, Goblin Slayer and his party too had set up their camp within a small clearing. Throughout the day, they had traveled to the small hamlet that had been attacked, there the group of four had the opportunity to investigate the devastation. Large beams of lumber toss aside as if they had weighed nothing, dried black splotches of blood where a person had been crushed by some massive being. What was most troublesome were the massive footprints left behind, but something was very odd about the impressions. Snow and Wolf were able to pick up on the lingering scent of the goblins, yet the scent was different, the two dire wolves led the party in the direction the footprints led off towards.

“Something about those impressions Beardcutter…they just didn’t see right to me.” Dwarf Shaman frowned as he took a sip of his fire wine.

“Could a single Goblin Champion do something like that? We all saw how strong it was in Water Town, but that destruction…it almost seemed fighting the Ogre again?” High Elf Archer carefully checked her bow string before looking over towards Goblin Slayer.

Goblin Slayer was lost in thought as he looked toward the fire then towards the ground where his boot left an imprint in the dirt.

“What’s an ogre?”

“Even after all this time Orcbolg…I feel a headache coming on every time I think you’ll remember. That big monster in the elven fortress, the one who knocked you into that pillar.” High Elf Archer sighed as she massaged her right temple with her fingers. “I’m saying the damage we saw today looked like what the ogre had done with his club, crushing the stones as if they were nothing.”

Lizard Priest went about serving each of his members a bowl of stew, while tossing two large chunks of meat towards the dire wolves, he left the other pieces of meat to continue to simmer around the fire.

“Here you are Milord Goblin Slayer…Milord Goblin Slayer?”

The others turned to see Lizard Priest still with the bowl in his hand, while Goblin Slayer clenched his fist and pressed it into the dirt. He removed his fist and looked at the imprint, the others still curious about his actions.

“I see.” Goblin Slayer turned his attention towards Lizard Priest and took the bowl of the stew with a nod. “Thanks.”

Goblin Slayer then calmly went about eating his stew, while the others waited patiently for him to tell them the purpose of his actions.

“Well Orcbolg, what was that about?” High Elf Archer growled impatiently as she waited for Goblin Slayer to explain himself.

“The impressions, I recognized the footprints, and now I realize the other odd impressions were made by fists. These goblins…they’re larger than before and they walking on all fours.”

“What kind of goblin does that?” Dwarf Shaman quickly reached for one of the skewered pieces of meat and began to bite into the meat.

“I’ve never seen a goblin like this. This new form of goblin and these…Flesh Golems, I don’t like it.” Goblin Slayer commented as he continued to eat his stew.

“You remember the Flesh Golem, but not the ogre? Wait don’t tell me…it’s because it has goblins attached in their creation?” High Elf Archer sighed as she looked at Goblin Slayer with a cynical look on her face.

“Correct. The fact they are using dead goblins to continue fighting is troublesome.”

“Then we must find this monstrous goblin or goblins Milord Goblin Slayer.”

“Not to mention the ones who released them into the area, and I’d bet my jar of fire wine that we’ll find these plague mask figures near them.”

“You’re probably right about that dwarf.” High Elf Archer sighed as she finished her stew and turned her attention towards the two dire wolves. “By the way Orcbolg…I couldn’t help but notice that Snow seems a bit larger than Wolf. You’re not overfeeding her are you?”

“No, she is expecting.”

There was a pause from the other three as it took them a few moments to register what Goblin Slayer had told them, but almost immediately all three had the same surprised look on their face.

“Ex, ex, expecting! You mean she’s pregnant?” High Elf Archer looked towards Snow, then towards Wolf, then back to Snow. “How did this happen?”

“Wolves normally go into heat around…”

“I don’t think Long Ears is asking about the specifics of that Beardcutter, more like how you could not tell us about our non-verbal companions.” Dwarf Shaman chuckled to himself as he looked over towards Wolf. “You sly devil, when did you find the time for such recreational activities?”

“Come now Sir Mage, one does not brag about the time they spend with one they cherish.”

“That the voice of experience Scaly?”

Lizard Priest could not speak as he looked away trying to hide the flushed look that crossed his face and the while Dwarf Shaman laughed.

“Orcbolg, why did you bring her along is you know about her? She could be hurt or worse.”

“Snow is still capable of defending herself and we are here to protect her as well.” Goblin Slayer was silent as both wolves came over towards him where he was able to pet them. “I’m grateful for their help and yours.”

The others smiled as they watched Goblin Slayer continue to pet both dire wolves before they moved off to find a place in the grass to make themselves comfortable as they readied for sleep.

“If they’re that relaxed around here, I’d say it’s safe to assume these monstrous goblins are not in the immediate area. We’d better get some sleep too. Who will take the first watch?” High Elf Archer smiled as she looked towards her comrades.

“ _Allow me._ ”

The ghostly image of the Lich Queen materialized before the group, she smiled as she looked toward them all.

“I will alert you to any immediate danger. Rest and recover your strength.”

The party was quick to agree, thankful for their additional member, the party was quick to make themselves as comfortable as possible while the Lich Queen calmly watched over them.

xxxx

“Mmmm…that is so good.” Half-Demon Thief happily chewed on the piece of roast meat.

“You should try the stew, made with the finest vegetables from the village.” Harefolk Bowman happily helped himself to spoon after spoon of the stew. “I don’t know what spices you brought with you, but this is delicious.”

“I’m so glad that you like, you should also try the cheese and bread as well.” Priestess smiled as she passed the cheese to her comrade while she tore the bread and passed the pieces around.

Half-Demon Thief took her dagger and cut it into several pieces and like Priestess with the bread, passed them around.

“Is the cheese from Goblin Slayer’s farm?” Rookie Warrior happily ate his slice of cheese.

“Yes, his friend was kind enough to give us some for the journey.”

“We should probably ration the food, though I’m hesitant to follow that as I savor the flavor.” Fighter too had a smile as she enjoyed her food with the company around her.

The party happily ate the meal while still keeping an eye on the area around them. They set up camp within the woods but could see the main road within eyesight of their camp. As they continued to eat and converse, Fighter felt she had to say something to the young wizard about his sister; her guilt of survive while two of her comrades perished weighed heavily on her.

“I meant to say, I am sorry about what happened to your sister.”

The conversation suddenly came to a halt as all eyes fell upon Fighter, Wizard Boy’s eyes were wide as he looked toward this woman.

“What, what did you say? How do you know of my sister?” Wizard Boy was growing angry as he heard this from this new woman.

“She…she was part of the group that accompanied your sister.” Priestess sighed as she knew she had to tell him what she was unable to say back at the training camp. “And so was I.”

Rookie Warrior, Apprentice Cleric, and Half-Demon Thief all heard about the former party Priestess and Fighter had been apart of and the tragedy they endured, but from the look on Wizard Boy’s face this was all new to him.

“You…you knew my sister? You were part of her party?” Wizard Boy was growing angrier as he stood glaring at Priestess.

“Please calm down.” Rhea Fighter took hold of her comrade’s arm, but he shook free from her.

“How is it that you two survived and my sister died? Why didn’t you tell me you knew her?” Wizard Boy was at this point yelling at the two girls.

The others sat silent as they watched this exchange, Half-Demon Thief carefully moving her hand toward her dagger should Wizard Boy do anything to hurt her friend. Neither Priestess or Fighter were backing away from his accusations, Fighter had a frown on her face while Priestess kept a neutral expression.

“ _I can’t run from this, all I’ve been through these two years has helped to strengthen my resolve. He needs to know the truth._ ” Priestess looked toward Wizard Boy who continued to glare at him. “When we went into the goblin cave, we were not fully prepared to deal with the horde. At the time, dealing with the goblins at the training ground, there was not enough time to properly tell you what had happened.”

“You say that, but you’re still here and she isn’t!”

“It was thanks to Fighter making the sacrifice for me to try and save your sister. We…we underestimated the threat of the goblins and were punished for it.” Priestess was calm in her delivery as she looked the young adventurer. “In a panic, I took your sister further into the cave in hopes that I could save her. At the time, I did not know that the blade your sister had been stabbed with was coated in poison.”

“So you took her further into the cave, then you’re also responsible for her death!”

“You need to stop with all the angry accusations. It wasn’t Priestess fault, it was no one person’s fault.” Fighter was stern in her reply, making sure to not yell, but to make the younger boy understand. “Your sister, my friend and I were eager to prove ourselves, we invited Priestess to join our party. We all went into that cave completely unprepared, bolstered by overconfidence. Priestess tried to warn us to retreat and better plan our quest, we did not listen.”

“That’s not true, my sister…”

“Was just as young and inexperienced as any of us first start out. It should not have happened, and if we actually had the foresight to come up with an actual plan of attack, the other two might still be here with us. None of us came out of that experience unscathed…” Fighter still had nightmares of the torture she endured at the hands of the goblins. “I knew your sister, she was very confident in her abilities and was right to be, but overconfidence alone is not enough to be an adventurer.”

“That still doesn’t excuse the fact that she’s dead! Killed at the hands of such…such vile creatures.”

“Yes it is tragic, but even you know better how terrible the goblins can be. Through you, your sister’s spirit will live on.” Priestess tried to calm the young boy down with her soothing words.

“I don’t want to hear any…”

“Quiet!”

The other adventurers suddenly stopped their arguments to look at Harefolk Bowman who quickly load a bolt into his crossbow as the ears above his head twitched.

“Something is coming. Sounds like several people coming!”

The adventurers quickly got to their feet with their weapons ready, their backs to the fire as they looked around the area for any sight of these approaching intruders. Half-Demon Thief carefully scanned the area, her bright yellow eyes able to see further in the darkness than her comrades and there in the shadows she could see several figure quickly moving about, shrouded in dark cloaks as they readied to attack the party.

“They’re coming. I see at least two dozen, maybe more.” Half-Demon Thief tightened her grip around her daggers not taking her eyes off the forest. “Priestess…when I give you the signal, use Holy Light.”

“Understood.”

“You two, hold off on your spells until we see what we’re up against.” Rookie Warrior words were directed towards Apprentice Cleric and Wizard Boy.

Apprentice Cleric gave her comrade a quick nod, but Wizard Boy grew frustrated from what he heard about his sister and now being told what to do.

“Now!”

“O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, grant your sacred light to we who are lost in darkness…Holy Light!”

The area around them was ablaze with blinding white light, and in that moment, the adventurers could see the figures shrieking as they covered their eyes, the party rushed forward to engage the blinded enemies with weapons drawn. Harefolk Bowman quickly let loose a wooden bolt smiling as it struck the figure in the chest, then using the goat’s foot lever went to work quickly reloading for the next target. Fighter was in top form as she charged in landing deadly and precise strikes with her martial arts skills. Not to be out down, Half-Demon Thief, Rhea Fighter and Rookie Warrior used their blades to cut down their opponents. In the few minutes Holy Light was in effect, the adventurers had easily reduced the number by half, while the other cloaked figures finally managed to regain their sight and snarled at the sight.

“Carbunculus…Crescunt…Iacta!”

The forest was again ablaze with light, many of the cloaked figures turned only to be consumed by a ball of fire. The fireball exploded catching many of the trees on fire with the surviving cloaked figures backed away before retreating back into the forest. The adventurers surprised by the sudden appearance of the fire turned to see Wizard Boy pointing his magic rod at the cloaked figures.

“They’re escaping! We must go after them!” Wizard Boy emboldened by his successful attack against the cloaked figures foolishly rushed after them.

“Wait, we don’t know what else is waiting in there for us!” Rookie Warrior gave out a quick shout to his colleague but to no avail.

Almost instantly they lost sight of Wizard Boy who chased after the cloaked figures in the dark woods.

“We need to douse these flames! Otherwise the whole forest might be engulfed and then the village!”

The adventurers turned to find Harefolk Bowman furiously kicking dirt onto the flames around him while patting the trees down with his gloved hands.

“Quickly everyone, tend to the fires!” Rookie Warrior gave a quick shout to his colleagues.

“But…my comrade?” Rhea Fighter was desperately looking towards the forest for any sight of her comrade.

“I swear to you, the moment we’re able to we’re going after him, but we have to ensure the village is protected.” Rookie Warrior placed both hands on Rhea Fighter’s shoulders to reassure her.

Rhea Fighter still had a worried look on her face as she glanced to the forest but resigned herself to stop the fires first.

xxxx

Wizard Boy continued to stalk through the forest as he continued his search for the cloaked figures, but there was no sign of them. He looked back, expecting to see the other adventurers following his lead, but saw nothing, not even the sight of the campfire they started from.

“ _Damn it. I told them to follow after me, what the hell are they doing?_ ” Wizard Boy continued to walk forward in search of his prey. “ _I’m an adventurer too. I’ve risen a rank so I’m also capable of leading. I’ll show them, those that mock what happened to my sister, what a spellcaster is capable of._ ”

Wizard Boy soon found himself within a small clearing in the woods and there in the center was a young woman bathed in the moonlight. She stood there in a dark blue gown to cover her ample frame, from the choker to her chest was an odd cut the exposed quite a bit of her pale flesh. Behind her was a lace cape that attached to her wrists via wrists bands. She turned towards the stunned Wizard Boy and smiled as she began to walk towards him. Her red hair cascading down to her lower back and her green eyes seemed to have him captivated in some sort of hypnotic spell.

“ _She’s…she’s beautiful._ ” Wizard Boy suddenly snapped himself out his stupor and walked towards her. “Are you alright? Are you one of the captives of the vampire?”

“Vampire?”

“The beast that commands the minions of chaos in the area. I was chasing them down, but lost sight of them.” Wizard Boy carefully scanned the area for these cloaked figures but found no trace of them. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe until the rest of my party arrives.”

The woman and the young adventurer stopped as they were now within arms reach of each other, the woman continued to smile as she reached out and hugged the boy thought she was slightly taller than him. For Wizard Boy the sudden action of the beautiful woman brought a blush to his face as he struggled to maintain his composure.

“Thank you, my brave adventurer.”

xxxx

“That’s the last of the fire put out. Damn fool using a fireball in a forest.” Harefolk Bowman sighed as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“I told him to save his spells, there’s no telling if these men were the only ones around. I wished he would have waited for us.” Rookie Warrior was exhausted from the fighting and from stopping the fire from spreading.

“They’re not humans.”

The party turned toward half-Demon Thief as she looked at one of the bodies of the fallen attackers. Rookie Warrior and the others moved closer with lantern in hand to examine the bodies. Under the hoods they found the attackers were dark-skinned humanoids with sharp teeth and red eyes.

“What…demons?” Fighter asked aloud as she studied the body.

“Yes. These are lower demons, following the commands of one master, incapable of any real thought on their own other than basic instincts.” Half-Demon Thief sighed as she looked over the creatures thankful her father had not been such a creature. “There master must have been the one to send them out to attack us, which means even now they know about us.”

“Then we have to go after him before he runs into any of these things on his own. He’s only capable of two spells.” Rhea Fighter was in a panic of her comrade being attacked by the surviving demons.

“Like I promised, that’s the plan right…”

Rookie Warrior was unable to finish his sentence as he and the others heard the sounds of growling and snarling nearby. Priestess thought the sounds were like that of Wolf or Snow when they were ready to engage an opponent. They party once again circled up to look around the area for any sight of the monster or monsters growling at them. Harefolk Bowman swallowed as he deiced to slowly look up and there in the tree he could see two sets of glowing eyes.

“Above us!”

The others looked up to see to wolf-like creatures snarling at them before leaping down to attack. The group scattered as the wolves hit the ground before standing up on two legs to attack the adventurers.

“Werewolves.” Harefolk Bowman’s instinct telling him to run yet he fumbled to fire of a bolt at the creatures.

“Werewolves…no one said anything about werewolves. Don’t you need silver to kill them?” Apprentice Cleric quickly got back to her feet as she nervously held her sword.

“We don’t have any silver, so we’ll just have to use what we have and hope for the best.” Though nervous himself Rookie Warrior tightened his grip on his sword and charged in to attack.

Harefolk Bowman fired a bolt at the werewolf which easily hit the best in the chest, but only enraged it as it readied to attack him.

“Protection!”

Before the werewolf could slash at his throat, a barrier went up to protect Harefolk Bowman. Harefolk Bowman was surprised by this and quickly looked around to see Priestess behind hand with sounding staff in hand.

“You have my thanks.”

The party of adventurers cautiously attacked the two werewolves, doing their best to avoid their claws and snapping jaws while trying to attack themselves.

“Quickly move back and don’t breathe it in.” Half-Demon Thief reached behind her back and withdrew a small object.

She hurled the object at the two werewolves, a small egg, which shattered among the werewolf’s chest and a cloud of black powder erupted. The were wolf breathed in the strange concoction and roared with pain, furiously rubbing its nose and face to remove the irritant.

“Wait…are those?” Priestess dropped the spell and looked towards her friend with wide eyes.

“I had Goblin Slayer show me how to make those eggs filled with the crushed powder. Very effective at stopping these things.”

The party regrouped as they prepared to continue their attack, one werewolf snarling at the while the other groaned in pain from the powder. Suddenly they heard a new sound, the sound of a horse galloping forward, the party turned to see a massive creature with red eyes charging toward them, atop its back was a rider in a long coat. They immediately figured him to be another adversary, but almost instantly the figure vanished before their eyes. Then came the fluttering sound of a cape above them, they looked up to see the rider almost flying towards them with long sword drawn. Before any of them could properly react, the figure flew past them towards the two werewolves, there were two flashes of light, the moon light reflecting off his sword and he landed on the ground in a crouch.

“What…what just happened?” Apprentice Cleric was at a loss for what had transpired in those few moments.

“Look his sword.” Half-Demon Thief was quick to point to the rider’s weapon.

There on the blade was a red liquid, blood, they then turned their attention towards the werewolves who remained motionless. Suddenly the heads of the werewolves effortlessly rolled off and the bodies hit the ground with a heavy thud, blood effortlessly flowing from their necks.

“He…he killed them. I thought only silver worked against werewolves.” Rookie Warrior turned his gaze from the bodies of the werewolves to the mysterious figure.

“Silver if effective, but there are other ways to slay a werewolf.”

The voice was cold, almost devoid of any emotion, for Priestess and Half-Demon Thief they felt as though they were once again speaking with Goblin Slayer. The figure gave a quick shake of his blade to remove the blood before sheathing it. He turned toward the party and slowly approached them, this figure was imposing, taller than Goblin Slayer, nearly as tall as Lizard Priest. They could see the figure was a young man with a rather pale complexion with a cold gaze in his eyes as he looked down at the young warriors before him. For the all the women, the mere sight of this figure caused them all to feel the heat rush to their face, even Rookie Warrior and Harefolk Bowman were envious at his appearance.

“Guild tags. Adventurers?”

“Y,yes.” Priestess quickly snapped back to reality. “Are you an adventurer as well?”

“No. A hunter.”

“Those eyes, that appearance, the way you moved…” Half-Demon Thief studied him carefully, she could instantly tell there was something off about him and now understood why. “You’re a vampire hunter, but not human…a Dhampir.”

“Dhampir…what’s that?” Fighter still felt a blush on her face as she looked away from this man toward Half-Demon Thief.

“He’s half-vampire.”

The party was shocked to hear this and quickly looked back to this young man waiting to see how he would react and what course of action they should take.

“I am a vampire hunter…nothing more, nothing less.” The Dhampir Hunter was cold in his reply even though the expression on his face was neutral. “Have you come here for the vampire?”

“Yes, to ensure my village is safe.” Harefolk Bowman was confident in his reply towards the Dhampir.

“Very well, we must make haste. Their master may still be in the area.” Dhampir Hunter motioned towards the two slain werewolves by his feet.

“One of our party members rushed ahead to chase after some fleeing lower demons. We need to find him before their master finds him.” Rhea Fighter was adamant to find her companion. “Do you think he will try to drink his blood or turn him into a vampire as well?”

“Their master, the noble I seek, is no man. Their master…is their mistress.”

xxxx

“I…I…thank you, but we need to leave this place, there is no telling when those cloaked figures will show up again.”

Wizard Boy was rather flustered as this beautiful woman continued to embrace him, his face pressed against her breasts.

“Stay with me. Continue to protect me my brave adventurer.”

She calmly moved him away from her chest where he was able to look up at her face, there he was lost in the gaze of her green eyes then saw as she smiled and saw her elongated canines. In that instant he realized this was the vampire they sought, but he found his body would not respond. The female figure turned his head to the right and titled it to the side exposing his neck to her which she graciously bent forward to kiss.

**Author’s Note: I want to give a big thanks to GrimmBear, he’s been gracious enough to begin drawing artwork for the chapters of Howl of Vengeance. If possible, and with his permission, I’d like to feature it on the website. Please be sure to check out his stories.**


	61. Chapter 61

“So were dealing with a vampire…or rather a vampiress?” Priestess was confused as she looked toward Dhampir Hunter.

“Correct.” Dhampir Hunter calmly walked past the adventurers towards his horse then looked back towards the forest. “The woods may be too dense for it. Remain here until I return.”

The demonic steed snorted as it scratched at the ground with its mighty hoof. Priestess and Half-Demon Thief once again saw parallels to Goblin Slayer and Wolf as they looked at the Dhampir Hunter interact with his steed. The Dhampir Hunter turned back towards them before charging into the darkened forest, what drew his attention they could not begin to understand.

“We need to hurry as well, we’ll split up two, two and three. Watch for any more of these monstrous apparitions.” Rookie Warrior looked towards his party to see their worried faces which probably matched his own.

Rhea Fighter was worried for the wellbeing of her comrade when she felt someone get hold of her hand, she turned to see Harefolk Bowman nod towards her.

“Let’s go find your partner.” Harefolk had a bit of a smile of his face and he tightened his grip on her hand.

Rhea Fighter smiled and nodded in return as they both took off into the woods towards their right. Priestess and Half-Demon Thief themselves took off in the direction towards their left while Rookie Warrior, Apprentice Cleric, and Fighter charged forward down the center. Their hope was that either they or this mysterious Dhampir Hunter would find Wizard Boy before the vampire or her minions did.

xxxx

“ _Was it really wise to leave those young ones to their own devices? There were quite the bunch of lovely little morsels there for you Dhampir._ ”

“There is work to be done. I have no time for your foolishness.”

Dhampir Hunter continued to charge through the woods at incredible speed, his eyes focused on the environment around him. Watching for moving shadows around him as he targeted a lone figure, her pale skin almost reflected in the moonlight as she stood there waiting for him. He drew out his long sword as he continued onward, he jumped, his long coat once again fluttering in the wind as he closed in to decapitate the vampire before him. The vampire’s calm eyes widened as she continued to smile and effortlessly jumped backwards as he slashed the area she had been a few moments ago. Dhampir Hunter grunted as he stood looking at the vampire who seemed to effortlessly glide down back down to the ground.

“So it is you…the Dhampir.” Noble Vampire smiled; her bloodstained fangs ever present as she looked toward the hunter. “I had heard of a hunter who was going after my kind. You, the offspring of some wretched vampire with a human whore, how dare you see fit to hunt down those who share your blood!”

“What is your purpose here Noble?” Dhampir Hunter’s reply as cold as ice as he looked down at the vampire before him.

“What else, looking to make the mortals our servants as they should be. These mortals, the human, harefolk, elves, padfoots…all of them are nothing more than food for us.” The vampire chuckled as she looked at the Dhampir, despite his pleasant appearance a sense of revulsion swelled within her.

“Even your ancestors…would have never acted in such a manner.”

Noble Vampire smiled faded the moment she heard such words coming from his mouth and snarled as she reached for her sword. Dhampir Hunter readied his own sword to attack, his face neutral in contrast the scowl on Noble Vampire’s face. Noble Vampire started to calm herself as she moved her hand away from her sword and once again smiled toward Dhampir Hunter.

“As much fun as it would be to kill you here and now, I have more pressing matters to attend to, so I will have them deal with you.” Noble Vampire slowly pointed above her to something in the trees.

Dhampir Hunter looked up and within the trees he could see several yellow eyes that seemed to glow within the darkness. Above him were female creatures with dark skin, their feet covered with talons like a hawk, and their arms were composed of black feathered wings, and as the creatures smiled at him he could their razor sharp teeth eager to tear at his flesh.

“Demon Harpies.”

“My lovely little birdies haven’t had a chance to eat, so I’m hoping you’ll be kind enough to feed them for me.” Noble Vampire snickered as she calmly backed away into the dark forest behind her. “Should you manage to survive I’ll be waiting for you in the castle. Show me what a worthless half-breed is capable of.”

The moment Noble Vampire vanished into the darkness the demonic harpies took to the air screeching like crows over a battlefield. Dhampir Hunter coldly looked up to see more than a dozen of these monsters overhead as they began to circle him, suddenly two of the harpies shrieked as they dived inward with talons present. Dhampir Hunter leapt upward, catching the harpies by surprise, with swipe of his sword he split one of the harpies in two across her stomach and with another swipe decapitated the others before gracefully landing, the remains of the two slain harpies crashed to the ground with a horrid thud.

“If you value your lives…you will flee.” Dhampir Hunter once again looked toward the harpies, from their perspective they could see his blue eyes glowing in the darkness.

The harpies grimaced as they looked towards this man before them, for a moment they had considered flying away, but then thought of the punishment their mistress would have instore for them. The harpies let out an angry shriek as all of them rushed in to attack, Dhampir Hunter narrowed his gaze as he readied his sword to strike.

xxxx

Priestess and Half-Demon Thief paused as they heard the sounds of screaming echoing in the woods. Priestess was trembling slightly as the cries all sounded female to her and she worried it was her colleagues in danger, yet Half-Demon Thief was more concerned about the figures she could see moving around them.

“Before we go and check on the screams, we have to deal with these guys right here and now.” Half-Demon Thief raised her daggers as she cautiously looked around area.

“Then once again. O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, grant your sacred light to we who are lost in darkness…Holy Light!”

Half-Demon Thief kept her eyes to the ground as the light bathed the forest, the moment she heard the cries of the robed demons she slowly opened them to see the survivors around them, seven of them. She quickly went to work slicing their throats before they had a chance to recover from the effects of spell.

“The area is clear…that’s the last of these lesser demons.” Half-Demon Thief sighed as she tucked her daggers away and carefully went about checking the bodies.

“Are they all demons? Any of them the missing Harefolk? Do you see any bite marks?” Priestess calmed walked toward the side of her friend to look over the bodies as well.

“No, no bite marks on any of the demons.”

“Why would they be working for the vampire?”

“With the Demon Lord vanquished, many are looking for someone new to serve…someone who shall lead them to great conquest. We’d better hurry, I’m not hearing anymore screams.”

“Do you know what direction they were coming from?” Priestess once again worried that cried were coming from her comrades, even hearing the cries was better than not hearing anything at all.

Half-Demon Thief frowned as she looked around the forest, there was nothing along the ground and a quick glance upward revealed nothing as well. Suddenly a new cry echoed in the forest, this one a single female voice and a familiar cry they’d heard before.

“Cleric!” Priestess eyes were wide as a cold sweat rolled down the side of her face.

“Let’s move.”

Elsewhere, the cries they had been listening to during their battle with demons had come from the harpies that fought against Dhampir Hunter. Dhampir Hunter was emotionless as he looked around him, the grass saturated with blood and the harpies lay in bloody chunks all around him. The Noble had long since vanished, given her movement and skill he estimated her to be well over two hundred years old, maybe even closer to three hundred. He too heard the cry of a young woman off further in the forest, without even a moment’s hesitation he rushed forward, determined to slay the monster. Harefolk Bowman finished tearing his used bolts out of the demons he and Rhea Fighter had dispatched when they heard the cry themselves.

“There, from that direction!” Harefolk Bowman pointed to the direction opposite from their location.

“Come on, we need to hurry!”

xxxx

Rookie Warrior and his party had charged straight ahead the moment the party split into three groups. There was no way of knowing if they were going in the right direction towards Wizard Boy, would they encounter more of the demons, the vampire or the Dhampir Hunter who went ahead of them? None in the group had any direct answer, all they could do was continue forward and hope they were not too late.

“I don’t see anything yet, not that I’m comforted by that thought.” Fighter commented as she scanned the surrounding area and occasionally looked towards the three tops. “ _I didn’t even know that werewolves could climb trees…maybe werecats?_ ”

“Nor do I, but we have to keep our eyes open. Surely we should have run into someone by now.” Rookie Warrior gripped his sword tightly as he too looked around the forest for any sign of their quarry.

“There!” Apprentice Cleric eyes widened as she caught sight of something or someone leaning against a nearby tree.

The trio could see it, a figure leaning against the tree, red hair visible in the moonlight and glasses upon their face. It was Wizard Boy, the group rushed over to check on him concerned as it looked like he was having trouble standing.

“Oh…it’s you guys.” Wizard Boy grunted as he leaned his right arm against a nearby tree while looking towards the others.

The trio rushed to his side, Apprentice Cleric was quick to check on her young colleague while Rookie Warrior and Fighter protected the perimeter, keeping their backs to the two as they once again scanned the trees.

“Are you okay?” Rookie Warrior spared a quick glance to check on his colleague.

“Fine…just had a bit of trouble with those demons. Had to use my other spell.”

“That was a damn stupid thing to do, you shouldn’t have run ahead…with only one spell.” Fighter frowned as she looked back toward Wizard Boy.

“I know…I’m sorry. Just…wanted to prove myself as well.”

“Let’s get you back to the main road, we can better plan from there.” Apprentice Cleric gave the young man a quick once over, but thankfully did not spot any serious injuries, he only looked disheveled.

“Did you manage to deal with all the demons or are there any other survivors?” Rookie Warrior suddenly spared a quick glance to his right as he heard the cries of men from somewhere further in the forest and what looked like a bright light off in the distance.

“What’s that? Is that Priestess off in that direction?” Fighter looked towards the bright light with a look of concern on her face.

“It’s possible they might be dealing with the vampiress.” Wizard Boy placed his left hand on Apprentice Cleric’s right shoulder for support.

Rookie Warrior, Fighter, and Apprentice Cleric all felt the cold sweat wash over them as the turned their attention back to Wizard Boy.

“How do you know the vampire is female…we didn’t discuss that until we met the Dhampir?” Rookie Warrior slowly turned his attention back toward Wizard Boy.

Wizard Boy hung his head down for a moment but soon they could all see the smirk on his face, Apprentice Cleric only then noticed the two bruised puncture marks on his neck. Wizard Boy snapped his head back up and smiled, they could clearly see the elongated fangs present right before he lunged forward and sank his fangs into Apprentice Cleric’s neck who screamed in pain from the attack.

“NOOOOOOO!” Rookie Warrior rushed to help his comrade in the arms of the vampire Wizard Boy.

Wizard Boy saw this and quickly shoved Apprentice Cleric into the arms of Rookie Warrior while he jumped back several feet.

“Amazing…this power…this agility.” Wizard Boy smiled as he looked down at his hands, blood running down his chin. “This along with my own magic abilities…I show you all! You dare belittle my sister…myself…well no more!”

“You need to stop, none of us were trying to make light of you or your sister.” Fighter too rushed to the side of her injured comrade. “Right now, you need to calm yourself, you’re letting the vampire take control of you.”

“My Mistress…how dare you. I shall await your arrival at the castle, but right now…you have your own problems to worry about.”

Wizard Boy rushed further into the deep dark woods; Fighter wanted to chase after him but instead chose to turn back towards her injured comrade.

“Is…is she?” Fighter was worried as she saw the blood staining her comrade’s white robes.

“She’s still alive, I’m stopping the bleeding.” Rookie Warrior was panicking himself but did his best to maintain a calm demeanor as he pressed the rag against his friend’s wound. “Can you hear me? Are you alright?”

Apprentice Cleric’s breathing was heavy, the burning sensation radiating from her neck and in the back of her mind she seemed to hear someone’s voice whispering to her, above all else…there was an incredible thirst. She grunted as she opened her eyes to see the concerned faces of her comrades but what made her eyes widen was the sight of Rookie Warrior’s neck.

“Oh thank goodness, let me get you a healing potion and you’ll be good as new.” Rookie Warrior reached into his pouch to retrieve the potion.

“I…I would be more interested in a different liquid.”

Rookie Warrior looked up to see Apprentice Cleric lunge towards him pushing him to the ground to the surprise of Fighter. Rookie Warrior gasped as he placed his hands on either shoulder of his comrade to see the crazed look in her purple eyes and the fangs now present as she tried to bite him.

“Just…just a little blood…that’s all I need. Surely you wouldn’t deny your comrade…your friend right?” Apprentice Cleric continued to force herself upon Rookie Warrior despite his resistance.

“I…I need you to stop, you’re…you’re not yourself.” Rookie Warrior grunted as he pushed against his friend.

“That or perhaps I’m finally giving into my true desires! Such a handsome face and a strong body…your blood must be quite delicious!”

Rookie Warrior could feel the blush on his face and found her drawing closer to his neck, suddenly Fighter rushed in and wrapped Apprentice Cleric’s arms behind her, then used her own arms to keep her in place. Apprentice Cleric hissed as she turned her head towards Fighter in a futile attempt to bite her. Rookie Warrior quickly got himself up to aid Fighter and Apprentice Cleric when they once again heard the familiar sound of the fluttering cape. They all turned to see Dhampir Hunter rushing forward with long sword draw ready to decapitate the vampire before him.

“No! Wait!” Rookie Warrior foolishly stood before the rest of his party ready to put himself in harm’s way for their sake.

“Protection!”

Dhampir Hunter struck at the group but thankfully an invisible barrier now stood between him and the party. Dhampir Hunter paused as he studied the barrier in front of him and a quick look to the side, he could see the priestess and demon thief he had seen earlier with the party. More footsteps drew his attention and he could see the harefolk and rhea coming to join the others as well. Despite the young girl affected by vampirism, the rest of her party members continued to hold her back while the others readied to defend her.

“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Half-Demon Thief was angry as she pointed her daggers at the dhampir.

“Attempting to deal with the vampire.” Dhampir Hunter was calm in his response as he sheathed his sword.

“That…you were going to slay her without so much as a second of hesitation.” Priestess too was angry that he would be so nonchalant about killing someone.

“She has been bitten and seeks to bite others. If you believe you can save her, then take steps to restrain her. If you can’t stop her, I will.”

The adventurers momentarily panicked as they looked to the still struggling Apprentice Cleric, when Rhea Fighter reached into her own pouch and withdrew a rope.

“We can use this in the meantime.”

“Got it.” Half-Demon Thief nodded as she took the rope and rushed to help subdue Apprentice Cleric.

With the others still holding her in place, Half-Demon Thief wrapped the rope across her chest to keep her arms at the side and finished by tying her wrists together in front of her. Apprentice Cleric continued to hiss as she struggled to break free to attack them, thankfully Fighter still had a hold of her from behind.

“Release me! How dare you do this to me!” Apprentice Cleric narrowed her gaze towards Rookie Warrior and her face began to soften. “Why? I thought you cared for me. Why would you let them hurt me?”

Rookie Warrior wished to help his friend, almost tempted to release her but could still see the hungry look in her eyes.

“Is there nothing else we can do? Could a healing potion be used to aid her or…could my Purify stop her vampirism?” Priestess looked towards Dhampir Hunter hoping he’d have the answer for her.

“The only way to cure her now is to slay the Noble.” Dhampir Hunter continued to look at the snarling figure with an indifferent gaze when a thought came to mind. “This girl…what faith does she belong to?”

“Her…she’s an acolyte of the Supreme God, why?” Rookie Warrior looked toward with a confused expression on his face.

“If she has some totem or artifact that relates to that, it may help her regain some control.”

Upon hearing this, Rookie Warrior quickly went to retrieve her Sword, and placed it within her hands. Apprentice Cleric screamed as if holding the weapon in her hands was burning her, but Rookie Warrior would not allow her to release the weapon.

“Concentrate. Remember you’re a follower of the Supreme God…with this you are able to use your abilities to help others. You are not a slave to a vampire, you’re an adventurer!”

Apprentice Cleric could still feel the pain but bolstered by her comrades tightened her grip on her weapon, little by little her breathing began to slow. Her fangs began to retract within her mouth though they were still longer than a normal human’s, but soon enough her breathing seemed to be back to normal as she looked back toward Rookie Warrior and the others.

“I’m…I’m sorry.” Apprentice Cleric still found herself breathing heavy, but thankfully she seemed to be in more control.

“How do you feel?” Rookie Warrior cautiously looked at his friend.

“I…I think I’ll be okay but…the thirst is there.” Apprentice Cleric let out a deep breath as she calmed herself.

Rookie Warrior was cautious as he undid her binds, the others hesitant for him to do this and readied themselves to intervene if need be. Once the ropes were removed, Apprentice Cleric was quick to take a step away from them, not sure if she would try to lash out her colleagues.

“I…I don’t know what I might do so please…keep your distance.”

“Let…let us take it slow.” Rookie Warrior calmly reached out to take her hands in his and pulled her back toward the others. “We’re not going to give up, we’ll get you back to normal.”

While this was going on, Rhea Fighter looked around the area but could not find her comrade, and after seeing Apprentice Cleric a terrible thought came to mind.

“My comrade…is he…”

“Yes. He’s the one who bit Cleric.” Fighter sighed as she nodded toward Rhea Fighter with a solemn look on her face.

“No.” Rhea Fighter had a panicked look on her face as she looked around the forest.

“If we slay the one who bit them, it should break the curse.” Dhampir Hunter was calm in his delivery and began to walk away back toward his horse.

“Wait.”

Dhampir Hunter stopped to look back and saw the party of young adventurers looking toward him with a stern look on their faces, Rookie Warrior still holding his friend’s hand.

“We’re going with you. We’ve started this quest and we’re going to see it through and save our colleagues!” Rookie Warrior, though still scared and confused himself, as the party leader knew he had to stay strong for the sake of his comrades.

“We need to move then. There are still many days before we reach the ruined castle.”

xxxx

The next day, Goblin Slayer and his party were set to continue their investigation into this new form of goblin. Wolf and Snow continued to smell the ground as the continued on the trail, even without their ability to track this monster, the devastation in the forest was evident enough. There were trees that looked as though they had been pulled straight from the ground while other had giant branches snapped off as if they had been twigs.

“This thing or things isn’t trying very hard to conceal itself, eh Beardcutter?” Dwarf Shaman looked at the damage around them and marveled at the impressions left by the monster using its fist in the dirt.

“Something is not right.” Goblin Slayer grunted within his armor as he examined the damaged left behind.

“What do you mean Orcbolg? The damage is pretty severe but we’ve seen what goblins can do, especially goblin champions.”

“Indeed, could be a horde pursuing their prey through the forest. Violently destroying the area around them to make the path easier to travel.” Lizard Priest paused as examined one of the shattered trees.

“They’re moving during the night and also during the day.” Goblin Slayer paused as he looked up towards the bright sun in the sky.

The others paused as they thought about his words, it was true that whenever they encountered the goblins it was always in the dark or at a time Goblin Slayer deemed they were at their weakest, but to openly move in the bright sunlight, this was something new.

“Just what the hell is motivating them? I have disliked goblins ever since we began this journey, but this makes me feel more uneasy.” High Elf Archer frowned as she looked down the makeshift path worried about what they would encounter.

Both wolves suddenly paused in their tracks as they stared straight ahead, this new smell was very strong and unlike anything they had smelled before, both began to growl as the fur along their back stood up.

“Look at that, their fur’s standing up. Wonder what upset them?” Dwarf Shaman reached for his hand ax as he looked down the path for any sign of trouble.

“The raised hackles doesn’t just mean aggression; it may be arousal, excitement or fear.” Goblin Slayer drew out his sword in readiness for a battle.

High Elf Archer’s ears twitched as she listened for all the sounds in the forest, there was the sounds of animals fleeing from something, what sounded like horses crying out in pain, the screams of people and an unusual grunting and growling from some unknown monsters or rather monsters.

“Ahead of us, I don’t know how far but there’s a battle and whoever is fighting the monsters does not seem to be fairing well.”

“Let’s go.”

Goblin Slayer and his party charged down to path, it took themselves minutes until the reached the site of the battle, but it was not the enemy they saw, but the object thrown towards them. The party watched as a large objected was hurled, not at them directly at them, but in their general direction. This object crashed into the tree with a sickening crunch before slumping to the ground, blood stained the tree it had struck, it took the group a moment to realize that the thing that hit the tree was a horse.

“ _My word…what could throw a horse with such force?_ ” Lizard Priest looked at the mangled remains with wide eyes before looking back toward the sounds of battle.

Goblin Slayer and his party saw them, two massive creatures, at first glance they appeared to be goblins, but something about their bodies was different. As expected, these massive creatures would move on all fours, their fists smashing into the ground as they approached their prey. What was unexpected was the design of these things, their skin was green but translucent, their muscles were clear for all to see, their bodies were wide, arms like tree trunks, their heads seemed to be stretched out and visible teeth in what looked like a perpetual smile.

Around the monsters were the bloody and broken bodies of catlike beings, their bodies covered in fur though their faces resembled male and female lions. This party’s wagon was crushed, along the ground was another horse carcass, nearby were the bodies of the catfolk, some torn in half, others appeared to have been crushed or smashed against something.

“It’s a party of Leonin. We have to help them!” High Elf Archer quickly notched an arrow in her bow and fired.

A male Leonin was breathing heavily as he watched one of the monsters pick up his comrade and smash him along the ground over and over. Suddenly an arrow struck it in the chest, but this only elicited a grunt from the monster. The Leonin and the other survivors turned to see a party of adventurers and two dire wolves rushing toward them.

“We shall hold the monsters at bay while you get the injured to safety.” Lizard Priest was quick to throw down his catalysts to summon forth a Dragontooth Warrior. “O horns and claws of our father, Iguanodon, thy four limbs, become two legs to walk upon the earth.”

Though they were not sure how these adventurers had found them, the surviving Leonin would not complain and quickly helped their injured comrades away from the battle sight by the elven archer.

Wolf and Snow each went for the legs of the nearest monster, sinking their teeth into the monster’s flesh and growling as they pulled. The monster grunted, not seeming to register the pain and prepared to attack but was struck along its chest, arms and face by a torrent of rocks.

“Stone Blast!” Dwarf Shaman fired the rocks toward the beast to keep it from attack the dire wolves. “Don’t you dare think of harming those two, you bastard!”

The beast grunted once again from the attack, it turned its attention back to Dwarf Shaman, blood running down its body from the various wounds, even with an eye missing it did not seem to show any signs of anger or feeling any pain. Dwarf Shaman quickly rolled away as the monster smashed its fists along the ground, hoping to crush the figure who had been standing there moments ago. Wolf and Snow tore the flesh away from the beats and quickly moved back themselves to avoid the immediate danger. The monster readied to attack Dwarf Shaman once again when several arrows flew forward hitting the creature in the chest, one managing to hit it the forehead. Dwarf Shaman turned to see High Elf Archer and the surviving Leonin firing a series of arrows at the monster.

“That’s will teach you to underestimate…an…elf?” High Elf Archer had initially been triumphant that her arrow had struck it in the head but was then shocked to see the head of the arrow barely into the monster’s forehead. “Just how thick is your damn skull?”

The monster with its pupilless eyes growled as its started to move toward the archers.

“Long Ears, go for the eyes, hit the brain!”

High Elf Archer quickly readied another arrow and fired watching as the arrow priced through the monster’s eye barely exiting out the back out of its head; to be on the safe side, she fired another arrow through the other monster’s damaged eye. The beast gave a final grunt before toppling over hitting the ground like a giant tree.

While the others were dealing with the first monster, Goblin Slayer and the others attacked the second creature. To their surprise they sliced at the monster’s limbs but only to find their blades causing superficial damage. The massive beast swiped with its left hand knocking the Dragontooth Warrior aside with such force it collided with a tree.

“What a beast!” Lizard Priest not dissuaded charged in again to continue hacking at the wound he caused.

“ _Beloved, quickly summon me!_ ”

“Come forth Lich Queen.”

Lizard Priest continued his attack and managed hack off the monster’s left forearm, during this time Lich Queen had once again manifested and used her magic to freeze the beast’s other arm. Goblin Slayer charged in with mace drawn and shattered the frozen arm, the beast grunted as it fell forward, unable to balance its massive body with the damage it had received. Despite all of this, the monster struggle to move to attack Goblin Slayer growling all the while. Goblin Slayer put his mace away and calmly walked toward the downed monster with sword in hand; the beast looked up at Goblin Slayer who gripped his sword with both hands before ramming it into the monster’s skull with a heavy grunt.

“My word…that was quite the troublesome creature.” Lizard Priest retrieved his catalysts then went to aid the other injured Leonin.

“Thank you…I don’t where you came from, but you saved us. Thank you.” One of the male Leonin bowed his head repeatedly towards the party.

“Please you’re giving us too much credit.” Dwarf Shaman chuckled as he helped with minor bandaging for those who were less injured. “Tell us what happened? How did you encounter these beasts?”

“We were a small convoy bringing supplies back to our village. There were fifteen of us at the start, but now…” The young male Leonin looked at the survivors, six of them, two requiring a healing spell to save their lives. “These things came crashing out of the forest, easily flip our cart over as if it were toy and threw one of our horses like it was nothing. We attacked, but could not inflict enough damage, our arrows, spears and swords could barely cut through their tough hides.”

While this was going on, Goblin Slayer examined the bodies of the goblins, though these creatures were unlike any goblin he had ever seen. Beside him were the two dire wolves and the ghostly image of the Lich Queen.

“These creatures are quite unusual Beloved, are you sure these are goblins?”

“Their bodies are like goblins but…something is not right. In all the time I’ve spent slaying goblins, I have never seen anything like this. Perhaps some form of mutation?”

“I unfortunately have never seen a goblin like this either Beloved, the goblin champion had been the largest form I had seen myself.”

“ _Massive muscle structure, blades can cut but requires multiple strikes. Bones are much stronger, even able to stand up to a direct arrow. Does not register pain, or rather does as evident by its grunts, but does not let it affect it for long._ ”

“Orcbolg, we need to make sure these Leonin get back safely. Orcbolg?”

“These goblins…how many more are out there?” Goblin Slayer’s dispassionate tone was unsettling as he calmly looked around the forest.

**Author’s Note: I know there’s a few different rules as far as the whole “turning into a vampire” rule. I’m going with the single bite I had seen in the _Vampire Hunter D_ manga, vampire deliberately bites and turns people and they in turn can turn others. The pervious report of men in Chapter 59 would be victims of the Noble but turned into her mindless serfs but not granted the gift of vampirism…assuming you think it’s a gift.**


	62. Chapter 62

Apprentice Cleric was drenched with sweat as they continued on towards the ruined castle, the bright sun overhead making her feel sick to her stomach. Rookie Warrior had used his rain coat as a cover for his friend and made sure she stayed within the shade avoiding the sun as much as possible. The rest of the adventurers were concerned as they continued through the forest, from what the Dhampir Hunter had mentioned, Apprentice Cleric would burn and eventually turn to ash if she was exposed to too much sunlight.

“How are you holding up?” Rookie Warrior placed his arm around his friend and continued to help her along.

“I feel sick. Like I’m on the verge of throwing up.” Apprentice Cleric frowned as she looked towards her colleagues. “Can…can I get some water?”

“Of course, just a moment.” Priestess was quick to reach for her water pouch and pass it to Rookie Warrior.

“That will do no good.”

The party looked ahead to see Dhampir Hunter slowly trotting ahead atop his giant steed, never looking at them but only at the road ahead of him.

“What do you mean? She’s thirsty, surely some water can’t hurt?” Fighter was confused and angry as she heard Dhampir Hunter comment in such a cold manner.

“He means because of her vampirism.” Half-Demon Thief corrected with a frown on her face as she looked back toward her colleague. “Vampires can’t drink water, their bodies can’t tolerate it.”

Before Half-Demon Thief could finish, Rookie Warrior gave the water pouch to his friend who greedily drank the water down only to moments later begin coughing. Apprentice Cleric dropped to her hands and knees and began to cough violently before vomiting up a black fluid upon the ground. Rookie Warrior was quick to rush to the side of his downed friend while the others looked on with wide eyes.

“Are…are alright?” Rookie Warrior helped Apprentice Cleric back to her feet.

“Far…far from alright, but at least I’m no longer vomiting.” Apprentice Cleric felt her body ready to collapse on her as she clung onto Rookie Warrior’s arm for support.

“What can we do for her?” Rhea Fighter looked toward Dhampir Hunter hopeful he would give them a useful solution.

“She can eat raw meat, the more blood in it the easier it is for her to digest.” Dhampir Hunter continued to move forward, completely leaving the others behind while they waited around with Apprentice Cleric.

“Please wait, she’s not ready to travel just yet.” Priestess was worried that this man seemed to have no sympathy for what had happened. “ _Even Goblin Slayer is easier to work with._ ”

“If we waste too much time, your friend here and at the castle will be lost. My only goal is the death of the Noble.” Dhampir Hunter stopped his horse to looked back toward the group of adventurers. “Other than the raw meat, she’ll need blood, even animal blood will do, but I have no intention of cutting my horse’s throat.”

Rookie Warrior growled in frustration at this man’s indifference towards his friend’s plight but then again, this man didn’t have the connection to her as he did. Apprentice Cleric continued to grip her sword then looked toward Rookie Warrior, her eyes growing wide as she looked toward his neck. She found herself licking her lips as she eagerly imagined tasting his blood; he turned his attention back to her and saw the look upon her face.

“Oh I’m…I’m sorry.” Apprentice Cleric was quick to turn her gaze away from his neck. “I’ll…I’ll manage.”

Rookie Warrior could see his friend was suffering, he looked up to see the sun still high in the sky, they were barely approaching noon, she would not last long at this rate and knew he had to do something.

“Hey, in the pack can you give me that bowl we use for our food, make sure it’s my bowl. Priestess, can you and Thief come here to help her?”

Priestess and Half-Demon Thief quickly rushed to help, each taking one of Apprentice Cleric’s arms and wrapping it over their shoulder. Fighter was quick to go for the bowl though she and the others were not quite sure what he was planning. While she was doing this, Rookie Warrior brought out his small knife and the cloth he has used the previous night to stop the bleeding on his friend’s neck.

“Here’s the bowl, what do you need it for?” Fighter was curious as she walked toward her comrade with bowl in hand.

“Okay, hold the bowl under my left hand…when I cut it, we’ll collect the blood.” Rookie Warrior placed the cloth in his mouth and placed the blade into the palm of his left hand.

Before the others could say anything, he closed his fist around the blade then pulled it out as quickly as possible. He grunted from the pain as he continued to clench his fist tightly, the blood spilling through his fingers into the bowl underneath. They looked towards him with wide eyes as he continued to clench his fist over and over to collect as much blood as he could before he finally moved his hand away and wrapped it with the cloth. With the blood collected in the bowl, Fighter quickly brought it over towards Apprentice Cleric who eagerly took the bowl in her hands. She brought the bowl to her lips and drank the blood, though not as much as she would have liked it was easily enough to sate her thirst, she even went as far as to lick the bowl clean.

“ _That…that was delicious._ ” Apprentice Cleric licked her lips before she looked back at the bowl then remembered it was his bowl and it was his blood. “ _He…he cut his hand and gave me his blood to help me. Was…was he always this cool?_ ”

Apprentice Cleric looked back toward her friend to see him wrapping his hand before downing a healing potion given to him by Rhea Fighter.

“That was damn impressive.” Harefolk Bowman clapped the adventurer on the shoulder with a big smile. “I would not have thought of something like that.”

“Before you start congratulating me, that hurt like hell.” Rookie Warrior chuckled before turning back toward Apprentice Cleric smiled. “How are you feeling now?”

“Uh…better, thank you.” Apprentice Cleric had a small smiled as she gave the bowl back towards her friend. “I should be able to better move now, I’ll stick to the shadows, I won’t hold any of you back.”

“We’ve wasted enough time.”

Once again, the group looked toward Dhampir Hunter, for some there was a frown on their face while others had a worried look that he could be so insensitive to what was happening to their comrade. Dhampir Hunter was as calm as he looked toward the group of seven, he could understand their sense of wanting to aid their comrade during this difficult time but was also aware that time would not be on their side.

“If we’re going to save your friends, we need to keep moving.”

With a final sigh, the party continued to follow behind Dhampir Hunter, they themselves knew there would be no point in continuing to argue, all they could do was reach the castle as quickly as possible and deal with the Noble.

xxxx

“Is the blood to your liking Mistress?”

Vampire Noble smiled as she gracefully sipped the blood from her wine glass quite comfortable upon her throne; she gently swirled the blood within her glass, marveling at how the dim light reflected off the crystal glass. To her right was her ever present and faithful Attendant, off to her left leaning against the wall was Wizard Boy. A frown present on his face as he stood there with his arms folded, they could see him anxiously tapping his finger along his arm.

“Mmmm, this Harefolk blood is quite delicious, a welcome change from the constant human blood. Though if given the option, I’d much prefer to have the blood of an elf, that would be quite the luxury.” Vampire Noble chuckled as she brought the wine glass to her lips once again. “What troubles you? If you’re thirsty, you need only ask?”

“I grow impatient, I thought those people would have been dealt with. Aren’t there wild animals in the forest to deal with them, so that we may crush the village of the Harefolk?” Wizard Boy growled as he looked towards his mistress.

“Listen to you, wishing to crush the village when only a few hours ago you were on a quest to save it.” Vampire Noble laughed as she finished the last of the blood in her glass. “You’re not quite in full control of yourself it seems, acting on my will to attack, however, I’m in no rush to attack the village.”

“What do you mean? Surely you realize that those adventurers are on their way here to slay you?”

The Attendant calmly refilled a new glass with blood and calmly walked toward Wizard Boy while his mistress continued to chuckle.

“Oh I’m sure of it, but you need to learn patience. You’re a vampire now, meaning you have eternity ahead of you.” Vampire Noble turned her full attention towards Wizard Boy. “I’m well aware of the hunter joining your friends, and we shall deal with them when they arrive…if they can arrive.”

Wizard Boy growled as he knocked the glass out of the Attendants hand, the glass shattering as it hit the floor, the blood splattering around him. Wizard Boy growled as he heard his mistress refer to the adventurers as his friends and her nonchalant attitude towards their approach.

“Those people are not my friends. I can think of only one I wouldn’t mind making a vampire to stay with me, they others I want them dead!” Wizard Boy thought of Rhea Fighter, the young woman who had continued to accompany him for nearly a year and one he grew fond of. “Were it up to me, I’d have taken care of them already.”

His outburst made the Vampire Noble’s eye widen and the smile on her face quickly vanished, a sudden sense of fear washed over him as she locked eyes with her, yet it was not her who acted by her Attendant. The Attendant took hold of Wizard Boy’s throat and effortlessly lifted him off the ground still pinning him to the wall using only his left hand. Wizard Boy struggled to break the man’s grip, but even with his new strength he could do nothing, he suddenly stopped his thrashing when the Attendant drew out a wooden stake and firmly pressed it against his chest.

“It would be wise for you to remember who you serve and then understand that even as a vampire, you are not immortal.” The Attendant spoke in a calm manner, even as he threatened Wizard Boy his face showed no signs of emotion. “If you even consider speaking that way to your mistress again, I shall end you myself.”

Attendant released his grip allowing Wizard Boy to drop to the ground, where the young boy massaged his throat as he looked up at the man before him.

“ _He…he is human isn’t he? What strength he has._ ”

“I would advise you to think very carefully about what has just happened, thought I turned you…I will have no trouble killing you.” Vampire Noble stood from her throne an intense look in her eyes as she stared at Wizard Boy.

Wizard Boy felt afraid as he gazed at Vampire Noble and quickly nodded his head, he turned his attention back to the Attendant who was already cleaning up the broken glass. Once again he felt as if he was being cast aside when he was just as capable if not more so than others, even this human here was treating him as an inferior.

“ _I’ll show them…they’ll regret looking down on me and my sister._ ”

xxxx

“There’s a fork in the road, which way should we head?” Rhea Fighter looked down either path, after last night feeling comfortable about either route.

“We take the path on the left, if we take the right it will take us to the next village about four days away from the castle.” Harefolk Bowman looked down the path to the left, a slight chill ran down his spine despite the calm surroundings. “This path though…something about it doesn’t feel right.”

“You wouldn’t think it but this forest…I’m starting to get that same feeling I had when we dealt with the undead.” Half-Demon Thief too had a frown on her face as she looked down the path.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything odd at first glance.” Rookie Warrior saw what looked like a pleasant forest scenery, much nicer than the bare woods they had seen up in the north.

“Not at first glance, but there is something very unsettling about it. None of the people in the village speak of this path, we avoid it and the legend says those that do enter this forest will never be found again.”

The others looked towards Harefolk Bowman to see the nervous look on his face, but everyone focused on the sound of the demonic steed snorting before calmly moving forward.

“Legend or not, our destination lies down this path.” Dhampir Hunter kept his neutral face as normal while he spared a quick glance back towards the others. “I’m sure that with all of us, we’ll be able to handle any situation.”

Reluctantly, the group followed behind Dhampir Hunter, though they did feel a bit better with his words of reassurance.

“He could of at least said it with a smile.” Half-Demon Thief whispered to Priestess.

“He does remind me a lot of Goblin Slayer, his sole focus on the task at hand and ability to encourage with no emotion in his voice.” Priestess smiled as she whispered back toward her friend.

“True, but with that said…which do you think is more handsome?” Half-Demon Thief thankful her own hood helped hide the blush that covered her face.

“Wha, what are you talking about…that…” Priestess covered her face with her hands, feeling the heat present as she thought about both Dhampir Hunter and Goblin Slayer.

The others around them heard the discussion and laughed as well, save Dhampir Hunter, but that brief bit of conversation helped to lighten the mood. The party continued down the path unaware of the unseen eyes watched them from within the treetops. Though massive in size, the figure above watched the adventurers with its eight eyes and smiled, its mouth filled with razor sharp teeth.

“ _How delicious…it’s not often that fresh prey willingly wanders into our forest._ ” The figure effortlessly reaches out towards a near invisible thread and gives it a gentle pluck. “ _It’s time to feed._ ”

With the trees were dozens of giant creatures who quickly, yet gracefully, moved through the trees, their needle like legs allowing them to move in unorthodox ways. For the briefest of moments, Harefolk Bowman, Half-Demon Thief and Apprentice Cleric paused as they turned their attention towards the top of trees only to see some leaves dropping from above.

“What’s wrong, see something?” Priestess paused as well once she saw the others stop and look towards the trees.

“Thought I heard something, maybe just the local wildlife.” Harefolk Bowman slowly lowered his crossbow still looking towards the trees.

“Something in the trees is watching us.”

Everyone once again turned their attention back towards Dhampir Hunter who calmly continued on his horse as if nothing happened. Knowing he would not wait for them, they continued on foot to catch up with the hunter cautiously watching the forest for any sign of trouble. For roughly an hour the group moved through the forest doing their best to stick to the main road, but found it would wind and curve quite often, what they also noticed was the abundance of spiderwebs. Rookie Warrior and Harefolk Bowman were annoyed as they continuously brushed aside the thick webs, the girls around them though bothered by the excessive webs did their best to maintain their composure.

“Look at this mess, there must be hundreds if not thousands of webs round here.” Fighter too pushed aside the webs, annoyed and disgusted as she felt strands sticking to her hair.

“They’re…they’re everywhere.” Priestess looked around the area, to her horror saw several small animals such as birds and squirrels tangled up in the webs, nothing but shriveled husks of their former selves.

“At least we know there is game in this forest, though we may need to find it quickly before these spiders beat us to it.” Half-Demon Thief joined her friend’s gaze at the poor animals caught in the spider’s webs.

“Stop. Over there.” Rhea Fighter held out her left hand, motioning for the others to stop in their tracks.

Dhampir Hunter sighed in annoyance, these younger adventurers were constantly talking and slowing him down. He figured he could have reached the castle in half the time it would take; he and his steed did not require as much rest and substance as these adventurers. About 200 hundred yards away, a lone wolf was sniffing at the ground in search of food when its nose picked up on the new scent in the area. It picked up its head and stared straight ahead at the group of eight figures and the massive horse ahead of it. Its eyes stared at the potential prey, normally this would be cause to run but with no visible game in the area it would take the gamble and charge towards the group.

“Looks like he’s getting ready to charge, let’s see if I can get a bolt in him before he gets too close.” Harefolk Bowman raised his crossbow, lining up the sights with the wolf’s front body.

Apprentice Cleric’s eyes were wide as she studied the wolf, she was not afraid but was hungry; eagerly waiting for Harefolk Bowman to strike down the wolf that way she could feed upon its blood. Just as the wolf was preparing the charge, something tackled the beast as it yelped from the impact. Everyone looked on with wide eyes, the attack was so fast they could barely make out what had tackled the wolf, they only knew it was just as big and they saw more than two legs.

“What the hell was that?” Rookie Warrior gripped his sword so tightly his hands were hurting. “ _I’ve seen giant rats and roaches but…was that a spider just now?_ ”

They heard the whine of the wolf and watched as something as large as the wolf came into view. The creature’s eight legs were clear for all to see, its abdomen had an odd black and yellow pattern while its thorax was a solid black, in its fangs was the body of the wolf. The wolf let a pitiful whine as its body twitch all the while the spider dragged it along the ground only pausing when its eight eyes caught sight of the adventurer’s.

“There’s…giant spiders now?” Apprentice Cleric has a worried look on her face as she watched the spider. “Why couldn’t it be giant butterflies, those don’t seem so bad?”

“Looking at it, anything with more than two legs is pretty ugly?” Rhea Fighter was nervous as well as she looked at the thing that was probably as big as she was.

“What about Wolf or Snow, our dire wolves?” Priestess was quick to think about the two dire wolves, actually wishing they were here now to give her a bit more courage.

“I’ve never met your dire wolves, but fine…anything with more than four legs are not pleasant.”

The spider then turned its attention back to the twitching body of the wolf and raised its own body to coat the wolf in webs. The wolf’s body was spun over and over, once completely cocooned the spider drug the body away and made its way up the tree taking its meal with it. Both the spider and wolf disappeared into the trees, the only sign of them was the leaves that fell down towards the ground.

“Well…at least it found a meal so it will ignore us right?” Harefolk Bowman slightly lowered his crossbow as sweat ran down the side of his head. “ _I’ve never seen a giant spider before…now I can understand why no one travels down this path._ ”

“How can we ignore such a delectable feast before us?”

The group turned around with hands on their weapons ready to attack, but there was no one present, that is until they saw more leave drop from above. The group looked up and to their shock saw the massive creature hanging upside down smiling towards them. The figure had blackish-purplish skin, medium length white hair eight red eyes, four stacked on each side of its face. Though the top half of its body was human-like, the bottom half was massive spider’s abdomen that bore the same yellow markings as the earlier spider, eight black shiny legs that clung to the web suspending it from the treetops.

“Hmm, an Arachne.” Dhampir Hunter dismounted his steed and calmly few a few steps as he continued to look up at the monster before him.

“There’s a human spider talking to us and that’s your reaction!” Harefolk Bowman looked toward Dhampir Hunter with a surprised look on his face before turning his attention back toward the arachne. “You adventurers sure encounter the most bizarre creatures.”

“That doesn’t quite ring true for all of us, but the fact is we have one ugly monster to deal with.” Half-Demon Thief drew out both daggers, a glare present on her face. “I’d recommend you get back in your tree otherwise we can’t be held responsible for what will happen.”

“Oh but that is not a possibility, my mistress has asked that we stop anyone foolish enough to enter our forest. Though you are not the first to face the Spider Monarch, rather you all will be the latest meal for me…and my minions.”

The party then heard the sound of multiple claws stabbing into the trees around them and a quick glance upwards revealed dozens of giant spiders edging closer to them, further inspection showed other spiders already along the ground near the base of the trees. The party of adventurers, save Dhampir Hunter, formed a circle with their backs to each other as they prepared to fight the army of spiders.

“Damn it.” Fighter quickly raised her fists, her spiked gauntlets helping to give her the courage she lacked in the goblin cave.

“I shall take the arachne, you all deal with the spiders.” Dhampir Hunter drew out his longsword, his cold gaze fixed monster before him.

“Got it.” Rookie Warrior raised his sword ready to crush the monsters before him. “We don’t have to be held up by these eight-legged freaks!”

“O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, grant your sacred light to we who are lost in darkness…Holy Light!”

Many of the spider leapt toward the group just as Priestess cast her miracle, the bright light flooded the area forcing many of the spiders to shriek out. Those spiders that had jumped, crashed to the ground raising their legs to shield their eyes, completely unaware of the adventurers charging in. Rookie Warrior and Rhea Fighter rushed in with sword slashing the spiders around while Half-Demon Thief used her agility to charge forward stabbing the spiders through their heads one after another. Fighter, Harefolk Bowman, Apprentice Cleric made sure to keep a good perimeter around Priestess while she used her miracles. Harefolk Bowman would fire bolt after bolt as quickly as he was able to, while Apprentice Cleric and Fighter used their sword and spiked gauntlets respectively to beat the spiders back. Thankfully the spiders bodies, though nearly as big as a spider, were also lighter which allowed them to leap around with ease, but the sheer number of them was what could overwhelm a group of adventurers if they got to overconfident in their abilities.

While the party dealt with the minions, Spider Monarch hissed as it leapt down towards Dhampir Hunter. The young hunter effortlessly leapt backwards as the massive arachne crashed toward the ground, slashing at the area he had been standing a moment before. Dhampir Hunter charged in to slash at the spider monster, but the Spider Monarch opened its mouth to spit out a thick purple stream of venom. Dhampir Hunter quickly rushed to the side as the glob of purple venom flew past him and collided with the closest tree, the venom itself immediately began to eat away at the bark of the tree.

“Foolish hunter, you and your group can only hold out for so long until my minion’s venom paralyzes you to hold you until it’s time to feed.” Spider Monarch chuckled before rushing in to slash at the hunter with its clawed hands.

Dhampir Hunter easily dodged each attack, never a sign of emotion upon his face while Spider Monarch hissed and snarled with each swipe. Dhampir Hunter suddenly slashed with his sword, Spider Monarch grew nervous at the length of the sword and even as he leapt away, the blade cut into his chest.

“Damn you!” Spider Monarch placed its right hand upon its chest as the pale blue blood spilled over his fingers.

“Then next strike…will take your head.”

Spider Monarch looked up with a look of concern on his face as Dhampir Hunter calmly walked toward him with sword ready to kill him in the next strike. A sudden cry suddenly drew Dhampir Hunter’s attention away from Spider Monarch, the cry was coming from his steed. The demonic beast managed to do its best to kick and stomp at the spiders that around but was eventually swarmed by four of the spiders that bit into its body and injected their venom into its massive body; with a final shriek the horse dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.

“Damn it.” Dhampir Hunter growled in annoyance as the massive beast let out a final whine before toppling over.

“Fool!”

Dhampir Hunter returned his attention back to Spider Monarch, to see the monster lift up its body and squirt a stream of web from its spinneret. Dhampir grunted as the splash of web splatted against him, binding his arms to its body.

“Stupid hunter, now you’ll serve as my meal!”

Spider Monarch laughed as he walked toward the now immobilized Dhampir Hunter who had a slight scowl on his face. The others saw this but still had their hands full dealing with the spiders around them, a quick glance back at they saw spider leap onto Dhampir Hunter’s body and slowly work its way up toward his neck.

“You damn thing, get away from him, he’s my meal!”

“Hang on, we’ll get you free!” Rookie Warrior cut one of the giant spiders in two with his blade as he struggled to get to the hunter.

Dhampir Hunter began to growl, a strange blue glow could be seen coming from his eyes. The spiders all stopped and froze, the animalistic instincts telling them they were in danger and should flee but were also paralyzed with fear. They weren’t the only ones, Spider Monarch and even the adventurers were worried as they saw him continue to growl, his fangs growing longer and longer.

“What…what the hell…is happening to you?” Spider Monarch instinctively took a step back as he felt he would be crushed by this overwhelming spirit.

Dhampir Hunter snarled before leaning forward to bite the spider near him. The giant spider shrieked as blue blood ran from the two puncture wounds on its body, the sight of him feeding on the spider came as a shock to everyone. The extra amount of blood revitalized the hunter who then destroyed the webs that bound him, the dead spider dropped to the ground, and now Dhampir Hunter was free to focus his attention on the still frightened Spider Monarch. Dhampir Hunter rushed in and with the first slash of his sword, severed the left arm of the monster as it shrieked in pain. While Spider Monarch was clutching at the bleeding stump where its arm had been, Dhampir hunter gave a second slash, and cut the four legs on the monster’s left side. Once again, Spider Monarch cried out as it topped to its side, blood running from its wounds as it thrashed about in pain.

“That will do.”

Dhampir Hunter sheathed his long sword, once again his face was calm and expressionless as he turned and walked away from the injured monster.

“You bastard!”

Spider Monarch continued to curse at the hunter, but he was not concerned with the crippled monster, his focus was on his downed horse. The others joined him near the demonic animal, the horse’s breathing was very labored as the venom from the spiders was slowly killing it.

“I can use Purify and it should…”

“You shall not be their food.” Dhampir Hunter drew out a knife from his belt and cut the horses throat.

Priestess and the others looked on with wide eyes as he casually killed his horse then motioned for them to take a step back. With the horse dead, it’s body suddenly burst into blue flames, and within a few moments was reduced to ash. Priestess was at a loss as she looked at Dhampir Hunter, even Goblin Slayer had not killed Wolf when he was injured and dying from the goblin’s poison.

“It was a demonic steed, your Purify would not have worked.” Dhampir Hunter looked at the young adventurer as he put his knife away. “Let’s go.”

“But…what about the monster?” Fighter also shocked by how cold the hunter was remembered the arachne was still alive. “ _Would…would he leave it to suffer and die?_ ”

“We needn’t be concerned about it…spiders are cannibalistic.”

It was then that the party realized that the spiders were no longer trying to attack them and they heard a horrified shriek coming from behind them. They turned to see the injured Spider Monarch struggling to move away as several of his minions stalked towards him, the smell of fresh blood drew them closer.

“No…stay…stay away…I command you!”

The spiders suddenly pounced on the downed arachne, he screamed as multiple spiders bit into his body injecting him with their paralyzing venom as he failed to knock them off. His movements began to slow as the multitude of spiders began to cover his body in webs, once his body was thoroughly cocooned, several of the spiders drug the body further into the woods much to the horror of the adventurers.

“Well…I think I’ve seen enough for one day, let’s get the hell away from here and find a safe spot to rest for the night.” Half-Demon Thief drew immediate parallels to these spiders and the undead she and her friends had faced nearly five months earlier.

“Before you move, I would suggest cutting off some of the legs of the fallen spiders around us.”

The group of adventurers looked at Dhampir Hunter, some with a look of confusion, others with a look of revulsion.

“Why in the world would we cut off the legs?” Rhea Fighter was one who was confused by the hunter’s comment.

“The meat in the legs is edible and free of venom. Unless you are all willing to give your friend blood, raw meat will also aid in her appetite.”

“ _Gods…even if I wasn’t a vampire, I doubt I’d have the stomach to eat meat from spider legs._ ”

“I guess we don’t have much choice…though we’re going to cook the meat.” Rookie Warrior gave a sigh as he surrendered and finally went about cutting off several of the spider legs and placing them in a bag.

“All I know is I’m not cleaning them. I’ve had enough of giant insects to last a lifetime.” Apprentice Cleric shook her head as she internally shuddered at the thought of the giant roach they dealt with in the sewers.

With their victory secured, the party still had a ways to go before they could rest for the evening, though they still scanned the area for any signs of the giant spiders following them. Another hour into the trek, and it was then that they finally noticed humanoid bodies strung up in the trees, they paused to look up and see most of them were humans, but there were some Harefolk, what could have been elves or half elves, and the tiny shriveled bodies of goblins.

“Gods…how many do you think were taken by these monsters.” Harefolk Bowman was at a loss for the number of bodies he saw and worried about the ones he could not see.

“Who knows…dozens, maybe hundreds. Maybe that wizard was on to something about burning the forest with his fireball.” Fighter also looked at the bodies, though she was not sad to see the goblin bodies among the corpses.

“Do…do you think he’s okay?” Rhea Fighter was stilled worried about her comrade especially with the though of these monsters and the vampire to deal with.

“Don’t you worry, we’ll find him and save him from the vampire.” Priestess smiled as she placed a hand on the shoulder of her colleague to help ease her worry.

Half-Demon Thief continued to look up at the bodies of the victims of the spiders when one caught her attention. The figure appeared to be human, even if the body had shriveled up from the feeding, but she could see the black robes he wore and the white plague mask that seemed to dangle from its head.

“Priestess! Up there!”

Priestess quickly looked up to find what her friend was pointing at, and like Half-Demon Thief was shocked at the sight of the body.

“A Faceless Man!”

The rest of the party looked up to see the figure in black robes strung up in the spider webs, many were not there when Heavy Warrior and the others had returned with the body of the Flesh Golem. The presence of this corpse and no visible sign of the Flesh Golem or the monstrous goblins that had been reported earlier filled the two young girls with dread…what else was loose in this forest?


	63. Chapter 63

“We can’t thank you enough for helping us out back there.” One of the Leonin continued to bow his head toward Goblin Slayer and his party.

With the monstrous goblins dealt with, Goblin Slayer and his party had aided the surviving Leonin to the nearest village for medical treatment. While there, they informed the villagers of the goblins that had been dealt with but cautioned them to be on guard for any further sighting of the monsters. Goblin Slayer stood near the outskirts of the village with Wolf and Snow by his side as he carefully scanned the countryside for any signs of disturbance, the sun already rising off in the distance.

“There you are Orcbolg.”

Goblin Slayer turned to see the rest of his party walking towards him, their conversation with the surviving Leonin and the villagers completed.

“Though they’ve been through much, those brave souls should be ready to travel in a couple days.” Lizard Priest had a big smile on his face that they were on the way to recovery.

“I tell you though Beardcutter, those big brutes were quite the tough opponent to battle with and that was just two of them.”

“They survived my arrow to the forehead and even your stone blast with little resistance.”

“Their bodies were mostly thick muscle, even the bones were tougher than normal.” Goblin Slayer carefully recalled all he had seen during their battle with the monsters. “It seemed that they could sense the pain, but their brains were not able to fully process it. Goblins are cowards by nature but these one continued to fight even after the damage would normally cause them to flee.”

“Some form of mutation then? You said that you had never encountered such a goblin before.” Lizard Priest too pondered what could have created these goblins.

“What about those “Faceless Men” that had been sighted around the area Scaly, maybe they had something to do with these new monsters being spotted?”

“Then it’s possible that we might have to deal with more of them unless we find these plague mask men and their leader, this Necromancer.” High Elf Archer frowned as she thought about fighting more of these monsters then remembered their other comrades. “Hey…you don’t suppose Priestess and Thief have run into these things do you?”

Lizard Priest and Dwarf Shaman looked toward one another with an unsure expression on their face.

“They will be both be fine.” Goblin Slayer’s flat tone drew their attention as he started to walk away from the village with dire wolves at his side. “We should return and report our results to the guild.”

“Wait up Orcbolg.” High Elf Archer and the others quickly caught up with Goblin Slayer. “You really think those two will be fine?”

“They are both capable and they are with other competent adventurers. We shall await their return and inform them of what we have seen.”

“That’s always like you Orcbolg, but I have to agree with your accession of our comrades. Alright, let us head home and wait for them.”

xxxx

“We should probably save the healing potion for a more serious situation.” Rookie Warrior wrapped up his left hand after once again cutting it to provide Apprentice Cleric with blood. “If I keep using them for just this, we’ll have nothing for when we really need it.”

“Are…are you sure? I can use heal myself to tend to that injury.” Apprentice Cleric looked toward her comrades injured hand with a small trail of blood running down her chin. “It’s the least I can do after all you’ve done to help me.”

“I should be fine, you can now use Holy Smite twice which I’m sure will help us a lot more. Even if it leaves a scar, it’s proof of my growth and willingness to help my comrades.”

“Well look who’s all high and mighty with a rise in rank.” Half-Demon Thief laughed as she happily ate her spider meat. “I would have never guessed that this stuff would be that good.”

“It’s unusual, but not entirely inedible.” Priestess smiled as she too enjoyed her breakfast.

“I never would have imagined myself eating something like this…then again after what happened back in the cave, I would never had imagined myself back as an adventurer.” Fighter too smiled as she enjoyed her meal then looked toward Rhea Fighter and placed a hand on her shoulder. “We’d best hurry, if we are to save your comrade and my friend from this curse.”

The party extinguished the campfire and quickly packed up their supplies, all the while Dhampir Hunter stood off to the side waiting for them finish.

“If you’re all done, let’s continue less we lose valuable time.”

“Ever the voice of optimism I see, alright we’re ready.” Half-Demon Thief sighed as she and the others followed behind Dhampir Hunter.

As before, Apprentice Cleric and Dhampir Hunter kept to the shade and shadows while the rest continued on the visible walking trail, though as they progressed further noticed the trail was becoming harder to see.

“I can see why my people choose not to walk down this path, even if you make it past the spiders, you’re likely to get lost and may never find your way back to civilization.” Harefolk Bowman quickly looked toward a nearby tree and used his knifed to mark it with an arrow. “When we come back, we’ll want to make sure we can actually follow the right path.”

“That’s a smart move, but at least the scenery around us is far more tranquil than the spider filled forest we saw yesterday.” Rookie Warrior smirked as he happily looked at the sunlight filtering through the trees the saw them. “Hey look there…butterflies.”

The group stopped momentarily to see three butterflies with beautiful blue and white wings fluttering near the treetops and off further away was a deer eating grass.

“Oh wow, how lovely.” Apprentice Cleric smiled as the tranquil sight. “ _So much more pleasant than being in the sewers or that treacherous spider-filled forest._ ”

“Hey…is it just me or do those butterflies seem bigger than normal, even if they’re further away from us?” Half-Demon Thief then saw the trio of butterflies flutter down toward the deer. “They’re…are they trying to attack the deer?”

“Butterflies don’t attack things…do they?” Priestess was confused as she as watched the butterflies and noticed what her friend was speaking of. “ _She’s right…they look so big._ ”

As the butterflies moved closer toward the deer, the group of adventurers were able to see that each of them was roughly the size of a large hawk. The trio landed on the deer’s body at different locations, their legs holding them in place while the deer snorted and whistled as it trashed about to removed them from its body. From the center of the butterfly’s head shot out the proboscis and pierced the deer flesh as the butterfly’s began to drink the fluids from the deer. The group looked on with wide eyes and open mouths at the sight before them, something they did not expect to see. The deer continued to struggle but soon its movements grew sluggish until it collapsed to the ground, the party could see its body begin to shrivel as the butterflies continued to drain the fluids from its body.

“Hmm…well that’s different.” Dhampir Hunter watched the scene unfold with his usual neutral expression.

“That’s all you have say about butterflies drinking a living creature in front of us?” Apprentice Cleric was at a loss for how calm he was.

“We’re you not the one who mentioned giant butterflies?” Dhampir Hunter’s comment was genuinely one of validation, no sarcasm present.

“ _Me and my big mouth._ ” Apprentice Cleric sighed as she watched the giant butterflies finish their meal and effortlessly flutter away.

“It is official then…I hate this forest. Things were easier when I was assassinating and stealing from people, there weren’t giant animals that would eat or drink me.” Half-Demon Thief cautiously looked around the tree tops for any further signs of the butterflies.

“Let’s get moving, the sooner we’re out of this forest the better.” Rookie Warrior too gripped his sword in readiness of dealing with the unnatural wildlife.

“Agreed.” Fighter grew nervous as they party quickly, yet carefully continued through the forest.

The group continued on through the forest, though they were now on constant guard for anything they looked like it was going to potentially feed upon them. Off in the distance, among the shadows in the trees, a figure with bright yellow eyes with a long rectangular pupil in the center watched them carefully.

“ _They actually made it past the Spider Monarch, mistress was correct in sending us to stop their advance. I won’t fail where that fool did…I already have the appropriate tool to crush them._ ” The figure frowned before running off into the woods ahead.

Further on the group continued though at this point, there was no longer a viable path for them to take and whatever sunlight they had seen earlier was now gone, it had gotten so dark that the adventurers were forced to draw out their lanterns to check their surroundings.

“It can’t be dark this early right. It’s only been a few hours since we started, there’s no way the sun could have set this fast.” Rookie Warrior looked toward the treetops for any sign of sunlight.

“It’s not that…the treetops are so think they’re even able to block out the sun.” Harefolk Bowman commented as he too looked around the area with an uncertain expression on his face. “I’ve been marking the trees as we go, according to the legends we’ll be entering the Swamp of Despair.”

“Swamp of Despair?” Priestess turned toward him with a worried look on her face.

“Yeah. The legends I was told about this part of the forest would lead to a swamp where if you’re not careful, you’ll be lost and unable to find your way back. The earlier part we passed through was called the Forest of Hunger and after seeing the giant spiders and those butterflies, I can see why it has that distinction.”

“Wait hold on, Forest of Hunger…Swamp of Despair…you knew about these places?” Fighter had a scowl on her face as she looked towards Harefolk Bowman wondering why he kept this all secret. “Does that mean you also knew what we’d be dealing with?”

“They were from stories told to me when I was much younger, at the time I just thought them tall tales to amuse children or to keep them away from this place. Unfortunately, I don’t know the specifics of what creatures are around here, just the usual wild monsters we’d be cautioned of.”

“But even if they were only legends, how come you didn’t tell us?” Rhea Fighter too was concerned that they had been misled on this quest.

“I was not trying to trick any of you, but to put it simply…none of you asked.” Harefolk Bowman smiled as he looked toward his traveling companions.

“You picked a terrible time to develop a sense of humor but ominous names aside, we need to push onward.” Half-Demon Thief sighed in frustration as the group moved further into the swamp.

The mist was thick, even with their lanterns the visibility was poor for them and with every step they found the ground beneath them may have looked like solid ground but would sink into a marshlands.

“Yuck…thank goodness these boots are tall enough to keep the water out.” Half-Demon Thief grunted as she lifted her wet boot out of the water.

“Well that’s not exactly true for all of us.” Priestess smiled as she pointed off to her left.

Half-Demon Thief followed the direction Priestess was pointing to and had to stifle her laughter as she watched Harefolk Bowman carrying Rhea Fighter on his back as he marched through the marsh with a visible frown on his face.

“I don’t remember volunteering to act as a pack mule.”

“Quiet you, after withholding information from us, you’re lucky this is all I’m asking of you. Besides, I really don’t want to get my feet wet in this muck.”

“If that’s your concern then wear some damn footwear! You realize the moment we have to fight you’ll have to get off right? I have no intention of carrying you into battle as well.”

“I am well aware of that, but until then onward I say.” In spite of her acting brave, there was a visible blush on her face then a sudden concern came to mind, one she had to ask as quietly as possible. “Hey, I’m not too…heavy am I?”

“Huh…uh…no, not at all.” Now it was Harefolk Bowman’s turn to blush as he realized that he was able to carry this attractive girl along his back. “ _Under other circumstances, this would be really nice…though right now isn’t too bad either._ ”

“Water aside, this place reeks…got that smell of rotten eggs.” Fighter scrunched her nose as pressed further into this swamp.

“Must be the gases in the area, all the more reason to get out of her as quickly as possible.” Rookie Warrior grunted as he felt he might sink into the marsh if he wasn’t careful and used his sword to cut his way through the thick vines. “I don’t suppose you know how far this swamp goes for do you?”

“The legends said it goes on forever, but we know that’s not true, there’s a castle at the end of this forest…swamp…whatever you want to call it. Our main concern is to make sure we head in the correct direction.” Harefolk Bowman shook his head as they continued through the marsh.

“We are heading in the right direction.”

The group looked ahead to see Dhampir Hunter calmly walk forward through the marsh, completely oblivious to the smell and marshland around them.

“How can you tell?” Priestess, though she was sure he was correct in his judgement, was still concerned that they could possibly be heading in the wrong direction.

“I am quite adept at tracking the Noble’s…she can’t hide away from me forever.”

The party though still worried had no choice but to follow the hunter, he was their best bet of getting through this forest, though Harefolk Bowman would continue to mark nearby trees should they become lost. Onward they traveled through the swamp, constantly checking the area for any type of wildlife that might try to attack them. The group was spread out to watch for all sides, but were so not far as to be unable to help their comrades when the moment arose.

“ _Huh…looks like there is sand ahead, hopefully that means were nearing the edge of the swamp._ ” Priestess had a small smile on her face at the thought of leaving this miserable place.

Priestess and Fighter stepped onto the soil and slowly started to walk forward, their feet sinking into the dirt as before but soon enough the found they could no longer pull their legs out as they had in the marsh. The two girls were concerned as they attempted pull themselves out, but soon found the more they struggled the fast they sank into the muck.

“H-hey we’re sinking!” Fighter screamed as she continued to struggle in a futile attempt to get out of the sinking earth.

The others turned to see their comrades were stuck and sinking, now up to their waste in the bog. Instantly they all rushed forward to help but it was a commanding voice that stopped them before they moved any further.

“Don’t approach any further or you’ll sink in with them!”

The group turned to see Dhampir Hunter approaching them at a faster rate, but not making any effort to run.

“They’re stuck in quicksand, if you go there, you’ll be stuck to.” Dhampir Hunter was blunt in his explanation to the other young adventurers. “You two in the quicksand, cease your futile struggling or you’ll sink faster. Keep yourselves as still as possible.”

The worried Fighter and Priestess did as they were told and stopped their struggling, a terrified expression on both faces as they found the sand nearly up to their chest.

“Pl, please get us out of here.” Priestess was at the point of tears as she worried about sinking beneath the sand.

“We will!” Rookie Warrior was not about to let his comrades drown in the quicksand and turned his attention to Dhampir Hunter. “How do we get them out of there if we can get any closer?”

Dhampir Hunter kept his neutral face as he studied the situation, he could clearly see the worried expressions on the faces of the adventurers beside him and the terrified looks on the girls faces. Both girls were near enough that they’d be able to rescue them, though there wasn’t much time for excessive attempts.

“Listen carefully, you have rope yes? Then toss the rope as far as you can between the two of them.”

“Right got it. You two, catch the rope and we’ll pull you out!”

Rookie Warrior took the rope from Apprentice Cleric and threw it the first time only for it land too short from either girl, he quickly pulled the rope back and threw it once again but in his panic it went to far to left and once again neither girl could grasp it.

“ _Calm yourself…you won’t get anywhere if your panicking. This time…this time for sure._ ” Rookie Warrior took hold of the rope in his hands and threw it forward. “Take hold!”

The rope landed between the two girls, they carefully reached over and firmly grasped the rope with both hands. Rookie warrior and the others, Dhampir Hunter included, took hold of the other end of the rope and pulled with all their might, little by little the girls were dragged out of the quicksand. Once back on dry land, or at least more solid land, Half-Demon Thief quickly rushed to hug her friend while Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric went to embrace their own comrade.

“I thought for sure I was going to lose you.” Half-Demon Thief happily embraced Priestess.

“Thank…thank you all.” Priestess tears in her eyes bowed her head towards the others.

“We’ll need to be careful as we move further, this swamp like many others can hold many more dangers.” Dhampir Hunter nodded head at the safety of the others before once again turning to continue into the swamp.

Fighter and Priestess were quick to get back up on their feet, enough time had been wasted and the only way out of the swamp was forward toward the castle. After another hour of walking, and being careful to avoid the other quicksand pits around them, the group finally came what seemed like a lake, before them they could see trees with visible roots that sank down into the water below and all around them were what looked like giant lilipads.

“Let’s see how deep this is?” Rookie Warrior carefully stepped into the water and found that it came up to his knees. “Well at least the ground seems sturdy enough, but…my boots are completely soaked.”

“I’d rather not have wet boots.” Apprentice Cleric frowned as she looked toward the water with caution. “Watch out for swamp dragons.”

“Like we don’t have enough to worry about.”

“Well what about using these lily pads, they look big enough to support a person.” Harefolk Bowman still carrying Rhea Fighter on his back leapt forward with his great agility and landed on the Lilypad.

“Wow, that’s a Harefolk for you what agility.” Rhea Fighter could not help but smile as she continued to remain out of the water.

“ _Well it supports us so that’s good. Huh…what in the world are these weird hairs on the lily pad?_ ” Harefolk Bowman suddenly noticed the hairs in the center of the lily pad were beginning to move.

The side of the Lilypad then quickly began to close upon Harefolk Bowman and Rhea Fighter. Harefolk Bowman released his grip on the young girl’s legs to place both hand on either side of the lily pad to keep it from completely closing upon them all the while Rhea Fighter screamed while the others looked on with wide eyes.

“What the hell is going on! The plant is trying to eat us!” Rhea Fighter still in her panic had her arms wrapped around Harefolk Bowman’s neck.

“Yo…you’re choking me. Sword…use sword…cut this…thing.” Harefolk Bowman struggled to speak as the plant continued to close upon him while dealing with the panicked adventurer.

Rhea Fighter quickly regained her sense and released her grip from Harefolk Bowman, drew out her sword and proceeded to stab into the plant. Her sword easily cut into the sides of the plant slicing it open where she pulled Harefolk Bowman through and plunged into the water. The plant closed completely on itself before submerging itself into the water. The other jumped into the water in the event they would have to help their comrades, thankfully both Harefolk Bowman and Rhea Fighter emerged from the water coughing heavily.

“Are you both alright?” Fighter helped Rhea Fighter back to her feet.

“Alright? How they hell can we be alright? We were nearly eaten by a plant…a plant of all things! Not to mention I’m all wet.”

“That’s your big concern?” Harefolk Bowman continued to cough as the water made his ears above his head droop. “You nearly strangled me back there while I was trying to keep the plant from eating us!”

“Well at least you’re both okay.” Half-demon Thief smiled but soon enough that faded into a frown as she looked around the swamp as there were still multiple floating plants present. “We need to get out of here as quickly as possible before anything else tries to kill us.”

It was then that the group heard an odd melody echoing in the woods around them, then tensed up with weapons at the ready as the music continued. Harefolk Bowman’s ears twitched as he looked toward his upper right and spotted a figure among the top of the trees.

“Over there!”

Everyone looked upward and through the mist they could see a figure playing what appeared to be a pan flute. The figure in the treetops danced among the tree branches as he continued to play on his pan flute, once he stopped the group could clearly see him. He was a figure which legs that were covered in dark brown fur in place of feet were hooves, his upper body had an odd grayish color to is and resembled that of a man but the head was a different matter. The head was shaped like that of a goat with a dark brown beard under his chin two long black horn atop his head and bright yellow eyes that stared at the group below.

“A goat…a man…what is he?” Fighter was confused and for some odd reason terrified as she looked up at the figure’s eyes with a long pupil in the center.

“A Satyr.” Half-Demon Thief grew nervous as to why this figure was here and the unnatural way he danced in the trees.

“I hope you enjoyed the tour of the swamp, it’s filled with quite the number of interesting creatures.” The Satyr Trickster spoke as he held his pan flute in his right hand while looking down at the adventurers below.

“Another pawn of the Noble.” Dhampir Hunter drew out his long sword in readiness to kill this figure.

“Oh hold there Hunter, I’m not fool enough to take on someone as skill as you by myself, let alone a group this massive.” Satyr Trickster laughed as he put his pan flute away and pulled out a knife. “As I said earlier…this swamp is full of several interesting creatures. Let’s bring out some more!”

Satyr Trickster laughed as he cut his arm and held it over the water allowing the blood to drip into the water below. Though it may have only been a few drops the group could hear a strange gurgling coming that surrounded them as well as what looked a torrent of bubbles in various spots all around them, they then saw odd shapes floating to the surface as they emerged from the mud beneath the water. These figures looked monstrous bipedal frogs with sharp clawed fingers and wide mouths filled with razor sharp teeth. Each of these figures stood roughly as tall as a man and had dark green, grayish skin and reptilian green eyes who eagerly stared at the adventurers with hungry eyes.

“What are these? Frogs?” Rhea Fighter drew out her sword and shield as she prepared to battle against them.

“Frogs how rude. These are the Slaad, they would normal be sleeping until the grew hungry but…a bit of blood is very useful in bringing them to the surface.” Satyr Trickster continue to laugh as the Slaad drew closer. “Now…would you be so kind as to die for me and my mistress?”

The Slaad let out piercing cries before rushing forward to attack, the adventurers struggled to move as they wanted to with the water up to their knees but did the best they could.

“Maybe we can get them onto land, but we got to get out ourselves. Priestess!” Half-Demon Thief quickly gave her partner the signal.

Priestess was quick to cast Holy Light which blinded the Slaad who shrieked in pain giving the group the time they needed to get out of the water and back on the more solid land. Once on land Apprentice Cleric gave the chant for Holy Smite and shot out a bolt of lightning at the Slaad, this bolts of lightning spread to five others that were nearby and shocked the water around them. The Slaad fell into the water dead, a thin layer of smoke traveling off their bodies. The other surviving Slaad regained their vision and once again rushed towards the edge of the lake to attack the fleeing adventurers, leaping out of the water and landing near the group. Back on land, the adventurers held the advantage with their weapons as compared to the Slaad and their claws and fangs. 

Fighter had struck one of the creatures with such force it actually flew back and landed on one of the floating lily pads. The moment the creature landed on the lily pad, it closed around the creature who shrieked before the plant submerged under the water with his meal secure. On and on the group continued their battle against the Slaad, the bloody bodies that feel into the water around them were they feasted upon by other Slaad, but the moment they were finished with their meal they would again attempt to attack the adventurers.

“ _These monsters seem almost without end, but we must not forget about the Satyr._ ” Dhampir Hunter finished slashing at the Slaad that attacked him when he heard the familiar pan flute.

He looked up toward the tree tops once again to see the Satyr Trickster with pan flute in hand, the creature moved the instrument left and right as his melody continued. Before Dhampir Hunter prepared to attack the beast when he suddenly heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching from behind. He instinctively turned with sword in hand to slash at the opponent only for his sword to strike a hard object and be deflected.

“What the hell?” Dhampir Hunter could see the being before him, the figure was broad and he had to pan upward to see the face, a face made of stone. “Golem.”

The pan flute sounded again as the massive stone golem struck Dhampir Hunter with its right hand sending him flying back until he collided with a tree. The rest of party turned at the sound of the sword striking something and watched as the giant figure sent Dhampir Hunter flying with a single strike. By the light of their lantern they could see the figure was composed of grey rock with two orange eyes that glow as the massive man-shaped monster lumber towards the downed Dhampir Hunter.

“We have to help him.” Priestess was concerned for the safety of the Dhampir Hunter.

“We got to deal with the rest of the Slaad before we can get to him.” Half-Demon Thief quickly slashed the throat of one of the nearby monsters.

Dhampir Hunter grunted as he could taste blood in his mouth, his chest hurt as did his back from striking the tree. He found himself slumped in the water near the tree with the golem sloshing through the water at him, tossing aside one of the lily pads as it drew closer. He pushed himself up despite the pain only two see two more of the Slaad shriek before charging toward him. With sword in hand, he easily took care of the monstrous creatures but then heard the sound of the flute once again. Before he could find the Satyr, the left leg was suddenly gripped by the golem and he was lifted out of the water. The golem squeezed its hand crushing the shin bone as the Dhampir Hunter grunted in pain, the golem proceeded to slam the hunter down into the water over and over, each blow feeling as though he were striking solid ground, until the golem final slammed his body up against the tree with a sickening crunch. Blood escaped from the hunter’s mouth, he was unable to cry out as even the simple act of breathing was painful.

“How fun! Now…kill him.” Satyr Trickster brought the pan flute to his mouth and played the eerie melody once again.

The golem reached for the barely conscious hunter, tightly gripping his head and effortlessly lifting him out of the water. Dhampir Hunter grunted in pain as he was lifted by his head until the golem started to apply pressure. Dhampir Hunter’s eyes were wide he could feel the golem working to crush his skull, yet he was still unable to cry out only gasp at the pain and the sound of bone cracking.

“ _Good, good! The most difficult of the group will be dealt with and then I can…_ ”

A glass vial flew forward and collided with the golem arm, the green fluid within splattered along the arm and began to quickly eat away at the stone until it finally crumbled and Dhampir Hunter dropped into the water slumped against the tree.

“What the…you!”

Satyr Trickster turned his attention toward the remaining group of adventurers who had finished dealing with Slaad and now their attention on the one-armed golem. Satyr Trickster brought the flute to his lips once again and played the familiar melody and the golem eyes lit up as it once again lumbered toward the group.

“What was that?” Priestess looked toward her friend to verify what she had used.

“Goblin Slayer told me about the alchemist he goes to see whenever he needs gasoline if the blacksmith is out. He sold me some poison I can use in my assassination and a vial of acid.” Half-Demon Thief panted heavily as she struggled to catch her breath after the constant fighting. “Unfortunately, that’s the only vial I have.”

“Then how the hell do we stop that thing, none our weapons can break through the rock.” Rookie Warrior began to slowly back away as the golem drew closer.

“We better think of something fast cause here he comes.” Harefolk Bowman raised his crossbow and fired a bolt into the left eye of the golem, though the bolt found its mark the stone giant did not stop.

“Wait…I have an idea. Priestess do you still have your miracles left?” Fighter turned toward her comrade while backing away from the golem.

“Yes two.” Priestess quickly rolled away as did the others as the golem swiped at their former position.

“Lead it back the way we came, I have a plan.” Fighter gave a shout as she got back to her feet.

The young adventurers turned and ran back the way they had come from with the golem chasing after them. Satyr Trickster continued to play his pan flute as he watched the golem chase after the young adventurers, his instruction the melody clear…tear them apart, he then looked to the still unconscious hunter and smiled as he moved to climb down the tree.

The group of adventurers rushed through the marshland, the sound of the golem crashing through the tree directly behind.

“So what’s the plan? We can run from it forever.” Apprentice Cleric spared a glance back to see the approaching golem. “ _Though as a vampire…could that thing kill me? Best not to test that theory._ ”

“We’ll use the swamp to kill that beast. Priestess…Holy Light!”

“O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, grant your sacred light to we who are lost in darkness…Holy Light!”

The forest was filled with light and the golem though voiceless raised its hand to try and shield itself from the light. Blinded by the light, the golem swung its arm in a frantic manner striking trees all around it in a futile attempt to kill the adventurers. Slowly the golem managed to regain its sight then turned its head toward the sound of someone crying out in pain. The golem lumbered forward and ahead of it near one of the trees, it found two of the adventurers one on the ground nursing what appeared to be an injured leg while the other tried to help her up.

“Priestess…run, my leg I…I can’t get up!”

“Just…just wait and I’ll heal you. O…O Earth Mother, abounding in…”

Priestess was unable to finish as she and Half-Demon Thief heard the heavy footsteps approaching and turned to see the golem heading directly for them. Both girls were petrified as the golem drew closer, but suddenly the ground seemed to give away as the golem sank into the ground. The golem looked and found its body sinking into the earth, its struggled to free itself but with every bit of movement its sank faster and faster, the golem looked forward to see both young adventurers back on their feet slowly backing away from it. In a futile attempt, the golem reached toward them with its left arm but could not grab them. The other adventurers emerged from the shadows, making sure to keep their distance from the golem who continued to sink further and further into the quicksand. Soon its chest was submerged in the soil then up to its head until at the very end only its left arm continued to move out of the quicksand, still acting on the order given to it to slaughter the adventurers.

“That’s pretty smart using the quicksand to take care of it.” Harefolk Bowman smiled as he looked toward Fighter and nodded his head in approval.

“After going through that hell earlier, I see no other fitting way to deal with this monster.” Fighter frowned as she watched as only the hand of the monster remained above the soil still struggling to complete its task.

“Speaking of monster, we have to get back to the Hunter!” Priestess remembered the injured Dhampir they left behind to save from the golem.

“Then let’s hurry back!” Half-Demon Thief once again drew out her daggers in readiness of dealing with the Slaad or the Satyr.

The group of adventurers then rushed back toward the lake, behind them the last of the golem’s fingers finally slipped beneath the soil, no further ripples in the quicksand present.

xxxx

“Foolish Hunter…you thought yourself an equal to my mistress.” Satyr Trickster allowed the pan flute to dangle from his neck as he drew closer with knife in hand. “With you out of the way, my mistress will be one step closer to dominating the mortals, making you all nothing more than cattle.”

Satyr Trickster raised his hand high and brought it crashing down with the intent of stabbing the hunter in the head only for this wrist to be caught.

“What?”

“It would seem that you are the fool.”

Dhampir Hunter calmly stood from within the water, slightly towering over the frightened Satyr and proceeded to crush his wrist. Satyr Trickster cried out as he felt and heard the breaking of the bones and was forced to drop his knife.

“That’s…that’s impossible. No mere human can recover from those kind of wounds that quickly!” Satyr Trickster held his broken wrist in his left hand as he back away from the hunter.

“How fortunate for that I am Dhampir.”

“A Dhampir? You? That’s impossible.” Satyr Trickster quickly dropped his inured wrist and reached for his pan flute to summon the golem. “Soon you’ll be dead dhampir!”

He played his melody and waited while continuing to back away, there was no response from the golem so again he played on his pan flute.

“Damn it! What the hell is taking that beast so long?”

“Your golem won’t be coming.”

Satyr Trickster dropped his pan flute as he heard the voice from behind him and turned to see the other adventurers behind him near the water’s edge with weapons ready. He then turned his attention back to the dhampir to see him with sword drawn looking directly at him, there was no where for him to run in the water he continued to back away from the group, constantly keeping his eyes on them, awaiting their attack. He then bumped into something and a smiled crossed his face as he thought he reached the edge of the shore and quickly stood on the dry land, but a quick look down revealed it wasn’t land but one of the lily pads. The plant suddenly folded inward with him trying to desperately use his arm to keep the plant from closing around him. With a final scream of terror, the plant closed its teeth and with meal inside, the plant submerged itself under the water.

“Good riddance. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer person.” Harefolk Bowman did not feel any sorrow for watching this latest assassin meet his end by the creatures of the swamp.

“Are you okay? Those injuries…surely you need medical attention.” Priestess jumped into the water and made her way towards Dhampir Hunter.

“Not to worry, as a dhampir, I can heal from injuries much faster than a human.” Dhampir Hunter was calm as he looked around the lake then fished out his hat thought found it soaked. “Oh well, once it dries, I’ll be able to wear it again.”

Dhampir Hunter was calm as he wrung the water out of his hat before giving it a final shake then caught sight of the worried look on the others faces.

“Thank you. If not for your vial of acid, he might have crushed my head.” Dhampir Hunter opted to not put on his soaked hat but wait until it was dry. “Perhaps it would be best for us to get out of the lake and find a comfortable spot where we can get a fire going and warm ourselves up?”

“That sounds like a fantastic idea, let’s get the hell out of here.” Rhea Fighter breathed a sigh of relief as she carefully looked around the area at the other floating lily pads.

“By tomorrow evening we’ll reach the castle, there we can deal with the noble and save your friend.” Dhampir Hunter once again walked forward through the swamp to lead the party in the right direction.

“That’s a relief.” Rhea Fighter smiled as she followed the others through the lake until Harefolk Bowman tapped her shoulder. “Something wrong?”

“Did you want me to carry you so you would get your feet wet?” Harefolk Bowman had a smile as they all stood there in the middle of the water.

“Oh shut up.”

**Author’s Note: The plants are technically venus fly traps, but I thought I’d refer to them as lily pads since they be floating on the surface of the water waiting to unsuspecting prey. Some may have noticed that I tweeked the nature of the Slaad for this story, I wanted a monster that looked like an frog or aquatic beast to hide within the swamp.**

**At the suggestion of GrimmBear, the kind soul who’s doing the artwork for the chapters, I’d like to know from the readers your Top Ten Goblin Slayer Girls. Rank the ladies of the story from 1 to 10, canon characters and originals (Half-Demon Thief, Lich Queen, Mistress of the Game, etc.) are all available candidates. Let me know in either the reviews or you can PM me, I’m genuinely curious to see how my characters stack up against the Canon ladies.**

**Also, check out the link below to see the artwork GrimmBear has been busy with. Thanks again for all the support and assistance.**

<https://www.deviantart.com/thewebsurfertwopoint/art/Goblin-Slayer-Fanfic-Fanart-Howl-Of-Vengeance-1-851513070>


	64. Chapter 64

“Wha-what did you say?”

“Apologies Mistress, but the satyr has fallen, and the golem was lost in the swamp.” Her attendant had a slight frown on his face as he bowed toward the Noble Vampire.

“Damn. The loss of the satyr is something that can be easily replaced, but the golem…how infuriating.” Noble Vampire growled in frustration as she tapped her sharpened fingernails against the right armrest of her chair. “Those fools will be here soon then.”

“Then we will just have to deal with them. Shouldn’t be too much trouble for us.” Wizard Boy smirked as he leaned against the nearby wall with a s smirk on his face.

“And what can a worthless fool like you do? Do you think that because I have bitten you that you’re suddenly that much greater than before?” Noble Vampire stood from her chair; her simple scowl changed to a look of rage. “Your magic is still limited to only two uses per day! You may be slightly stronger than before, but you hardly compare to me or any other experienced individual!”

“You dare look down on me!” Wizard Boy now growled as he looked at Noble Vampire.

Noble Vampire effortlessly moved across the room, clutching at Wizard Boy’s throat with blinding speed before effortlessly lifting him off the ground. Wizard Boy was now frightened as he looked toward Noble Vampire who hissed as she bared her fangs at him before throwing him across the hall, his body striking the wall with enough force to crack the wall before he slumped to the ground.

“You are only lucky that I might have some use for you to deal with those foolish adventurers. Don’t you dare think that I will even hesitate for a moment to kill you.” Noble Vampire growled once again before looking up at the ceiling in the grand hall way and shouting, nearly roaring. “Prepare for their arrival! Every beast in this castle serve your mistress!”

Within the ruined castle, the windows shuddered from her cry as the various creatures inside and outside the castle began to stir, each unconsciously ready to serve the mistress.

xxxx

“We arrived.”

The group of adventurers stood before the castle with weapons ready, the background the sun could be see quickly setting. Around the ruined castle they could see several stone gargoyles staring out into the forest, many of the statues had been broken and were missing heads or parts of their bodies. However, now was not the time to be so concerned with the architecture but stop the Noble inside and rescuing the infected Wizard Boy.

“Be prepared for her tricks. Once inside, even the castle will act to protect its lord.” Dhampir Hunter drew closer towards the door, his sword sheathed until he needed it.

“Those statues, were they used to scare away travelers?” Priestess paused as she looked toward one of the statues and watched a large crow fly away.

Half-Demon Thief looked up toward the statues, then squinting her eyes as she looked at them eyes when she finally noticed one of them twitch its claws.

“Those aren’t statues! Gargoyles!”

With her cry the stone figures, eyes flashed open with a red light and nearly a dozen of the creatures took to the air shrieking as they did so. The group looked around nervously as the creatures began to circle above them; Harefolk Bowman let loose one of his wooden bolts only for it bouncy off their stone bodies.

“O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, grant your sacred light to we who are lost in darkness…Holy Light!”

The area illuminated by the bright light, caused the gargoyles to shriek once again as they turned their bodies away and flew upward. With the distraction caused by Priestess, the rest of the party rushed toward the castle to push open the heavy doors and gain entry into the foreboding castle.

“Quick thinking on that Priestess, our current weapons are not up to par to handle those stone monsters.” Half-Demon Thief smiled as she placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder.

“It as Goblin Slayer would say, we do not have time to waste. Oh my…look at this place.” Priestess paused as she looked at the inside of the castle.

Inside the castle, or rather the great hall, was lit with several torches all around them. Dust and cobwebs could seen upon the furniture and armor decorations and in many regards it was very similar to what most of them had seen in the Lich Queen’s castle, the only saving grace was it was at least warmer in there.

“Yuck, what a filthy castle. Then again, after traveling to the capital, I imagine that many of the castles we’ll see from now will pale in comparison.” Half-Demon Thief was quick to remark on their current surroundings while still keeping her hands on her weapons.

“I haven’t been in many castles myself, so I don’t have much to compare this to.” Fighter cautiously looked over the castle expecting a group of enemies to attack.

“Quite the rude bunch you are.”

Everyone’s attention was drawn to the end of the grand hall where they found a beautiful woman with pale skin smiling at them. Harefolk Bowman raised his crossbow and fired, determined to finish the vampire here and now, but his bolt effortlessly passed through her.

“I…I don’t get it. I though and attack to the heart would kill her.”

“That is not her real self, just a shadow…a projection she’s creating with her magic.” Dhampir Hunter calmly took a couple steps forward ahead of the group. “Are you that afraid Noble? You don’t wish to face us?”

“Foolish Dhampir, what do I have to fear from a mongrel such as you?” Vampire Noble continued to smile though everyone could see she was clearly irritated by the Hunter’s comment. “I am a Noble, creatures such as you, the humans, and others are beneath me…like the dirt under my boots.”

“Such a bold claim from a false Noble.”

“What…what did you call me?”

“A false Noble. I use the title out of respect for the original nobles but try as you might, I can clearly see the bite marks you’re trying to conceal.” Dhampir Hunter was cold in his delivery as he calmly walked forward his long sword in hand. “You are nothing but a human who was bit by another, possibly a noble, and are now free from him or her and acting on your own free will.”

“How dare you! You are unworthy of facing me! None of you are going to leave this castle alive!”

Noble Vampire screamed before her visage vanished from sight, Dhampir Hunter suddenly charged forward toward the other end of the grand hall to chase her down. Before the others could follow him, they heard the cracking of rocks and saw the dust fall from the ceiling; Priestess and the others looked upward to see two large slabs of concrete ready to fall upon them.

“Scatter!”

Priestess and Half-Demon Thief quickly dodged to the right, while Harefolk Bowman and Rhea Fighter jumped to the left as the massive blocks of rock dropped down on either side of Rookie Warrior and his party, trapping them in the center of the grand hall. The trio of adventurers in the center of the two stone slabs breathed a sigh of relief know they avoided the rocks crushing them but the weight of rocks had damaged the floor they stood on and it suddenly gave out on them and they fell into the pit below..

“Damn it, not again!” Rookie Warrior yelled as they fell into the pit below just as his group had in the castle of Lich Queen.

“Damn it.” Apprentice Cleric groaned as she and the others landed hard on the ground then finally took in the sight. “Don’t tell me were in the sewers of this castle.”

“It certainly looks that way. Bah, the smell in here is just as bad as the swamps.” Fighter grimaced as she covered her nose with her hand.

“Even when we finally move up in rank were still stuck in these blasted sewers!” Apprentice Cleric growled in frustration as she looked down to see her boots covered in some sort of dark muck.

“Okay looks like we got a path forward and back, which way should we…” Rookie Warrior stopped himself as he heard a familiar sound echoing in the tunnel behind them.

Apprentice Cleric too heard the sound of the creatures, one she wished not to hear again, and a quick look down the tunnel with her eyes she could see them approaching. Fighter raised her spiked gauntlets, not sure what kind of creature was making this odd high pitched shrieking sound while Rookie Warrior raised his sword and shield.

“Can you see them?” Rookie Warrior slightly took a step back as he heard the shrieking sound growing louder.

“I can, we need to move now! Run!” Apprentice Cleric turned toward her group with wide eyes and started to run ahead.

Fighter and Rookie Warrior turned and followed their comrade, Fighter spared a quick glance back and even in the darkness could make out the shapes of giant rats, more than a dozen of them.

“What the hell?” Fighter was terrified to see these giant creatures; the small ones were bad enough but now ones the size of a wolf was even scarier.

“Never mind, keep running until we can get to higher ground!” Rookie Warrior pushed his legs hard to keep ahead of the mass of rats behind them.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Why does this keep happening to us?” Apprentice Cleric had no desire to be eaten by these giant rats nor taste their own blood.

xxxx

“The rocks, I can’t budge them.” Harefolk Bowman pushed against the stone slabs, but they would not give an inch.

“We’d best start moving ahead otherwise we’ll never get out of this nightmare.” Rhea Fighter placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him away toward the hallway they had entered.

The hallway was spacious with a large carpet that seemed stretch the entire length of the hall, the two adventurers proceeded to run down the hall while it was clear of any visible enemies but once again they heard what could only be described as an inhuman groan.

“What the hell was that?” Harefolk Bowman raised his crossbow, sporadically aiming it in different directions.

“There…there must be some type of creature here in the hallway with us.” Rhea Fighter put her back up against his with sword and shield ready. “It may be invisible, keep your eyes open.”

“Right.” Harefolk Bowman quickly gazed left and right and allowed his ears to try to discern the direction the location of this unseen enemy.

Harefolk Bowman could see any direct threat, but soon his eyes noticed the walls around them seemed to be moving. There was a look of utter fear on his face as he turned and ran forward grabbing Rhea Fighter’s wrist and pulling her behind him.

“What’s gotten into you?” Rhea Fighter struggled to keep up with him when she heard and felt the rumble behind them.

She looked behind her and saw the walls actually moving in and slamming together behind them, a scream erupted from her mouth and she turned to look forward and pushed her legs harder than she ever had before and ran forward.

“What the hell is going on? The walls are closing behind us! It must be the vampire’s magic.”

“Maybe…though it might be like what the Hunter mentioned earlier. I think this castle is actually alive!”

“For now, just run! I don’t want to be crushed!”

xxxx

“Do you think the others are alright.” Priestess had a visible frown on her face as she and Half-demon Thief cautiously walked away from the rocks down their section of the hallway.

“I’m sure they all made it away from that okay. We’ve partnered with them before and we’ve survived the forest and swamp together.” Half-Demon Thief had a small smile on her face but that soon faded as she took in the view around them. “There has got to be some way for us to get back to the others or find that damn vampire and rid of her.”

“This hallway itself is quite strange.” Priestess commented as she looked around the hallway with a worried look on her face. “I know this is going to sound strange, but I feel as though the walls are alive.”

“Alive? You mean as in the Golem we fought.” Half-Demon Thief wasn’t too sure about all of this but soon spotted fork that led to two branching hallways. “Looks like it splits up ahead, which hallway should we…”

Before she could finish, the hallway on the left sealed itself shut as the walls closed in much to her surpsie.

“What the…? I think you might be right; this castle is alive and responding to the will of the vampire. Which means, it’s directing us in the direction she wants us to travel.”

Behind them they heard the sound of rocks cracking and a quick turn around and they saw part of the floor cave in. From within this hole emerged more several humans covered his sturdy armor and sword in hand, each had a distant gaze in their eyes and the visible bite marks on their necks.

“Vampires.” Priestess cautiously backed away as they drew closer.

“I don’t think they’re vampires. Look at them carefully, they’re thrall of that vampiress.” Half-Demon Thief drew out her blades and growled in frustration as she observed the well armored soldiers staggering toward them. “It’s going to be a bit challenging to try and take them on here with all that armor. We best fall back until we can find a better spot to fight from.”

“Leave it to me! O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, grant your sacred light to we who are lost in darkness…Holy Light!”

Once again the burst of light flooded the area, the men screamed as if the light was actually harming them, but that distraction was enough for Priestess and Half-Demon Thief quickly turned and ran.

“Nice job. How many spells does that leave you with?”

“Two left.” Priestess continued to follow with her friend down the hallway, noticing that the lights from the torches were beginning to fade and the angry cried from behind. “They’re coming!”

Half-Demon Thief carefully scanned ahead, her eyes could easily see in the dark what her friend could not but here was no waiting for them in the front, juts the angry shouts from behind. Half-Demon Thief suddenly gasped when she saw the floor ahead of them suddenly drop away.

“Stop!” Half-Demon Thief held out her arms to stop Priestess from running any further and quickly brought herself to a stop before they fell into the large pit ahead of them.

The girls peered into the pit, for Priestess she could see nothing but heard something rustling down below but Half-Demon Thief had a frightened look on her face.

“Gods…it’s filled with roaches…roaches the size of large rats.”

“How…how do we get across?” Priestess was terrified of the idea of the large roaches down below but as he eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see the pit was massive, too far for anyone, even their athletic elven ranger, to jump across. “Those men…they’re going to be upon us soon. I can use Holy Light again and…”

“Wait. I can see a small ledge on either side of the wall, just big enough for our feet to stand on. We’ll use that to carefully shuffle over.” Half-Demon Thief knew that these men would not just let them walk away but then again who said they’d be seen moving. “Priestess take hold of my hand, I’m going to use Stealth.”

“Ready.” Priestess nodded as she took hold of her friend’s hand and squeezed tightly.

“Hac…Forma…Celare…Stealth!”

The two girls vanished from sight and carefully inched their way over toward the ledge and with their backs against the wall, carefully began to shuffle toward the other side of the pit all the while the insects in the deep pit below continued to skitter about. The vampire thralls angrily groaned as they continued to run down the hall, determined to kill the intruders for their mistress, but they could not see the pit ahead and fell off the ledge into the pit below.

The moment the men fell in, the roaches swarmed over their bodies, Priestess closed her eyes and did her best to ignore the screams of the men while Half-Demon Thief paused and looked on in horror. One of the men, clawed at the side of the wall, whether he could see girls was unknown, but he appeared to lock eyes with Half-Demon Thief, he screamed in pain as he reached up until the large roaches swarmed over him muffling his screams. Half-Demon Thief found herself trembling as she watched the last of them men finally stop their struggling and their cries came to an end, all that could be heard was the sound of the insects still swarming over the bodies and tearing into the flesh.

“Ok…ok…let’s just keep moving nice and easy…and get the hell away from this place.” Half-Demon Thief tightly squeezed her friend’s hand for reassurance before they continued to shuffle along the ledge.

xxxx

“ _I think you struck a nerve with that vampire their Dhampir. You already knew she wasn’t a true Noble from the start didn’t you?_ ”

“The minions that she keeps directly beside her are of a low level. With the exception of the Archne and the Saytr, the rest are lower demons who respond to her magic ability, but she lacks the real power of a Noble.”

Dhampir Hunter continued through the castle, knowing this vampire, she would use her minions to weaken the group down and make them work to reach her. The castle itself continued to move in a futile effort stop him as multiple vampire spawns descended the walls to attack him. Dhampir Hunter could see these creatures were a mixture of creatures, including the missing Harefolk he was told, but none of this mattered to him.

“I need to finish off these creatures and reach the vampire before she has any chance of fleeing.”

xxxx

“What is that green glow ahead of us?” Fighter continued to run as the sound of the rats was growing louder and closer behind them.

“Not sure, but it can’t be any worse that what is behind us. Keep running.”

Rookie Warrior and his party ran as the rats drew closer but as he and the others got closer to the green glow they could see what looked like a large moat full of green water. The room was a large round room with a stone walk way that bordered the moat, in the center of this room and moat was a large stone platform and upon it was what appeared be a large red stone pulsating like a heart.

“Now where the hell are we?” Rookie Warrior looked around the room where he could see another entryway. “On the other side over there, we can hopefully get out through…”

“Look!”

Apprentice Cleric pointed toward the stone walk way, the others followed her gaze and watched as the stone began to drop into the green liquid below one by one. To them, it appeared that the castle was falling apart and they would either drop into the strange green liquid or be consumed by the approaching rats, but then Fighter saw them.

“Above us.”

Above the group were chains dangling from the ceiling, there one chance was to jump and reach for the chains overhead. They leapt for the nearest chains, but Fighter knew the rats could jump towards them and they needed to move further towards the platform.

“Use the chains to swing towards the other chains. We got to get to the platform.”

Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric nodded and followed her lead and began to swing back and forth on the chains and when close enough reached for the next set. Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric thankful for all the extra training they had undertaken, as well as Apprentice Cleric’s vampire powers helping her. The group continued until they had finally reached the center platform and turned to see the rats finally reach the area they had been standing only moments ago, four of the rats immediately fell off the ledge into the liquid below, screeching and shrieking as the liquid, acid in fact, began to eat away at their flesh and bone. The others rats hissed at the adventurers but continued to keep their distance, that is until the walls behind them started to close and pushed the rats into the moat.

“What…the walls of the castle moved on their own. It pushed the rats into the moat…does that mean this castle is also alive and were in the stomach?” Fighter was horrified to see the rats screech in pain as they were dissolved in the acids below.

“If this is the stomach, does that mean the tunnel we just came through was…”

“Don’t you dare say it! I just want us to get the hell out of here. Monster insects, man-eating plants, vampire curses, and now a living castle…I’ve had just about enough of this adventure.” Apprentice Cleric groaned as she worried about how they were going to get to the other entryway.

“If the castle is alive, then is thing here the heart?” Rookie Warrior looked toward the pulsating stone, then raised his sword to stab it. “Time to end this.”

Rookie Warrior stabbed his blade in to the stone, a fountain of blood erupted covering him as he gritted through the unpleasant act. The castle shook and seemed to groan in pain as dust fell from the ceiling, the moat of green liquid drained away and the stone began to rise upward forming a bridge to the opposite entryway.

“Okay. That was disgusting.” Rookie Warrior grunted as he drew his sword out of the stone and moved to join his comrades.

“You okay?” Fighter asked making sure to keep her distance from him.

“I’m not sure how to answer that, but we can at least get out of this area.” Rookie Warrior then turned his attention towards Apprentice Cleric and saw her wide eyes. “You alright?”

“Ye…yes, just…such a shame to waste the blood.” Apprentice Cleric found herself licking her lips at her friend drenched in the blood.

“Just try to focus for a bit more, we’ll get rid of that vampire and free you of her curse. Now come on.”

xxxx

“Protection.”

Priestess used her miracle to seal the entrance they had come from as a flock of demonic harpies shrieked and screeched while clawing at the invisible barrier. After escaping the human thralls and giant insects, the duo was assaulted by the demonic harpies who were eager to tear them apart with their sharp talons. Thankfully they had escaped into a new area of the castle and in the center of the pulsating red stone.

“What the hell is this thing?” Half-Demon Thief quickly yet carefully examined the object in the center of the room before looking back to her comrade. “The door on the other side of this chamber is locked, I’m not sure I can get it open. How are you holding up?”

“They…they continue to beat against the barrier but I will hold them. Could that thing be what controlling the castle?”

“The castle?” Half-Demon Thief once again turned her attention to the pulsating stone and came to a quick conclusion. “Priestess, I think this thing is the castle’s heart? If we kill the heart, hopefully we kill the castle.”

Half-Demon Thief actually jumped on top of the stone and taking both daggers, jammed them deep into the stone. Feeling the stone shake, she quickly jumped back as what could only be described as a geyser of blood erupted from the stone, splatting upon the floor with a disgusting sound. The girls heard the castle groan like a wounded animal before the entire structure shook, within the hallway where the demonic harpies were, the stone above fell upon the frail bodies crushing them as if they were nothing. The castle was steady once again, and once Priestess’s barrier finally disappeared, they heard the door unlock.

“I guess that got the door and took care of the harpies.” Half-Demon Thief went to retrieve her blade and grimaced at the slight of her blade covered in the rock’s blood. “I’ve killed plenty of people over these past few years, but this has to be the first time I’ve ever killed a rock…and rock that bleeds no less. They’re just drenched in blood, getting a little hard to hold them.” Half-Demon Thief gave her blades a shake to remove as much of the blood as possible.

“We better hurry, hopefully this will lead us to the others.”

xxxx

“Damn demons, I’ll be damned if I let you get go any further.” Harefolk Bowman fired another bolt at the approaching lesser demon.

Now away from the moving walls, he and Rhea Fighter then found themselves assaulted by a large force of lesser demons. They now found themselves in a large room, with enough fighting space but the number of demons didn’t seem to be getting any smaller as they continued their attack.

“There’s no end to them and the door on the other side is locked. There has to be something we can do to get out of here.” Harefolk Bowman swung the butt of his crossbow into the jaw of one of the lesser demons as he quickly went about reloading.

“Wait, above us…what is that?”

He spared a quick glance upward to see what could only be described as a glowing red stone breathing, it was carefully wrapped in chain with one large chain used to dangle it from the ceiling.

“What in the name of the gods? It that…is that a rock…a heart? That must be the heart of the castle, we have to destroy it.” Harefolk Bowman raised his crossbow and fire a bolt into the red stone.

The bolt incredibly pierced the stone and the two could see what looked like blood running from it, but the stone itself was still breathing, the single bolt would not be enough to stop it.

“We need to something else to destroy that thing? Can your sword cut it?”

“If your wooden bolt can hurt it, then my sword should work, but how are we going to stop it with these demons still attacking?”

Harefolk Bowman readied another bolt and fired at the closest demon, but she was right, they were not about to give them the opportunity to fire at it as much as they would like when suddenly an idea came to his mind.

“Do you trust me?”

“What…you’re asking that now? Yes, you’re helping me save my comrade and helped me in the swamp, so yes…I trust you.”

“Give me your sword. Use your shield to push them back for a bit.”

Rhea Fighter was not sure what his plan was, but nodded her head as she passed him her sword and used her shield to push the demons back. Harefolk Bowman himself was not sure if this would work, but he was going to take that chance to help her and his village. With the string drawn back in his cross bow, he instead loaded the sword on top of it rather than another one of his wooden bolts and took aim for the chain above the stone heart.

“ _Gods let this work!_ ”

He squeezed the trigger and watched as the sword flew upward just before one of the lesser demons tackled him and clawed at his back. The sword flew with incredible speed and cut through the chain, the heavy stone heart dropped to the ground and with a sickening splat, shattered spilling blood everywhere. The castle once again groaned in agony and the entire structure shook as dust fell from above, the demons terrified by the sight shrieked in terror before running away back down the hall they had come from. Rhea Fighter found herself trying to catch her breath as she then rushed to helped the injured Harefolk Bowman back up.

“Are you alright?”

“It’s a minor injury…it won’t slow me down.” Harefolk Bowman hissed in pain as he reached to touch the injury on his back. “Anyway, let’s get your sword.”

The two started to walk forward, but Rhea Fighter paused at the sight of all the blood on the floor and did not like the idea of walking over it with her barefeet.

“Oh very well, I couldn’t have saved us without your sword so…” Harefolk Bowman sighed with a smile as he crouched down and invited Rhea Fighter to hop on his back. “You hated the idea of wet feet, I can’t even begin to imagine how you’d react to blood on your feet. Hop on, and we’ll get you sword.”

Rhea Fighter had a visible blush on her face before she carefully climbed onto his back, with a light grunt he was back on his feet carefully walking through the blood to retrieve her sword on the other side of the room.

“Wait, what about your injury?”

“I already told you, it won’t slow me down besides…I’m trying to act cool for a pretty lady.”

“Idiot.” Rhea Fighter thought the blush on her face couldn’t get any brighter as she whispered her comment.

xxxx

“No…how could they have gotten through my castle’s defenses!”

Noble Vampire was visibly worried as she now heard a third groan of her castle, the group inside had destroyed the stone hearts thus killing the castle and returning it to a simple stone structure.

“Mistress, calm yourself.” Her Attendant was calm in his speech as she looked toward her. “They will have been worn out by the time they reach us here atop the castle. We and the gargoyles shall deal with them.”

“Right…of course. Both of you, be ready for them!”

“Humph, for a powerful vampire you seem pretty worried.” Wizard Boy smirked as he looked toward Noble Vampire.

“You insignificant pile of waste! Obey your Mistress! You’re only lucky that you still serve a purpose otherwise I’d kill you here and now!”

She then heard one of the doors to the rooftop of the castle actually shatter, she and the others turned to see a figure in a wide-brimmed hat and black coat step out with long sword in hand.

“Dhampir.” Noble Vampire was surprised and slightly afraid to see him here.

“It is time to end this Noble.” Dhampir Hunter raised his sword and pointed it toward Noble Vampire.

Before they could begin their attack everyone heard the other three doors slam open and from within were the other adventurers.

“What the…how the hell did we end up on the roof? We were in the basement a second ago.” Rookie Warrior was confused as he now saw the sky above and the vampire ahead of him.

“No time to question it, we’ve got company to worry about.” Fighter grunted as she raised her spiked guantlets.

“Good to see we’re not late for the festivities.” Half-Demon Thief smirked as she raised her blades while Priestess stood be her side with sounding staff in hand.

“It’s him! He’s here.” Rhea Fighter smiled when she laid eyes on her comrade then quickly realized that she was still being carried by Harefolk Bowman. “Ah…quickly, please put me down.”

“You…all of you! How dare you anger a Noble such as myself! I shall drain every last drop of blood from your body.” Noble Vampire drew out her own sword and hissed at the group around her.

“The only thing happening here is we’re saving our colleague and curing my friend!” Rookie Warrior tightened his grip around his sword and raised his shield.

“Foolish boy. Did you forget who you’re speaking to?” Noble Vampire chuckled before her eyes began to glow.

As this happened both Wizard Boy and Apprentice Cleric growled in pain and dropped to their knees, what the others could not see was their eyes were also glowing red just like Noble Vampire’s.

“Hey! Are you alright?” Rookie Warrior quickly rushed toward his friend and crouched down beside her.

“Kill them all!” Noble Vampire began to laugh as the gargoyles took to the sky and began to circle the group below.

Apprentice Cleric turned her face toward the surprised Rookie Warrior and with scowl upon her face hiss before tackling him to the ground.

**Author’s Note: Sorry for the long delay everyone, with school starting back up for my 6 th graders, I’ve been a bit busy working with them and these virtual classes. I’m hopeful to get the next chapter out within a week like my normal schedule then I can go full force with the Necromancer Arc. Thanks again for all the support and patience. Oh yeah, be sure to check out GrimmBear’s _Dark Avenger_ story for an alternate take on the source material, there will be some interesting details coming up in the future with these characters and mine.**


	65. Chapter 65

The first gargoyle swooped in, Fighter raised her gauntlets for protection and braced herself but was knocked to the ground as the creature struck her. With a slight hiss of pain she was back on her feet and prepared herself once again; this time as the creature swooped in, she struck at it with all her might, shattering the creature’s face and knocking it to the ground where it broke into several pieces.

“Damn that hurt.” Fighter grunted as she gave her hands a quick shake.

Dhampir Hunter rushed toward the Vampire Noble and the two clashed swords, he being calm in his attack while she had a visible scowl on her face. While the fight continued, Wizard Boy attacked his comrade and Harefolk Bowman, the latter trying his best to help Rhea Fighter while trying to deal with the gargoyles but as before, his wood bolts would not hurt the gargoyles.

“ _Damn…okay, I got six metal bolts, let’s see if these can do any better. Got to get over there and help her before her friend kills her._ ” Harefolk Bowman placed the first metal bolt into his crossbow and fire smiling as it hit one of the wings on a creature and it plummeted to the ground.

“Stop this, I don’t want to hurt you.” Rhea Fighter let out a yelp as Wizard Boy struck at her shield with his staff and claws.

“You stupid fool, you’re just like the rest of them! I won’t have you look down on me, none of you will!”

Rookie Warrior lay on his back, holding his sword with both hands, as Apprentice Cleric was above him her hands on his sword as will pushing forward with her greater strength.

“I’m going to deeply enjoy this. I’ve developed quite the taste for your blood, it is truly delicious. Don’t fight me any further, let me feed and…” Apprentice Cleric smiled as she straddled his waist, every now and moving her hips. “…I’ll make sure you enjoy your last few moments.”

This little diversion had the desired effect as the more nervous Rookie Warrior waivered in his defense and Apprentice Cleric pushed closer, hissing as she prepared to bite her friend. Rookie Warrior gave a final grunted rolled to his right knocking Apprentice Cleric off of him and now allowing him to get back to his feet. With sword and shield in hand, he prepared to defend himself as the angered Apprentice Cleric too get to her feet and hissed as she attacked. He refused to use his sword to hurt her and did his best to use his shield to block her clawed attacks.

Elsewhere Priestess let out a small scream as she rolled to the ground as a gargoyle swooped in from above, she used her staff to strike at one of the creature’s but the motion of hitting the stone creature made her hands hurt. Half-Demon Thief wished to help her friend but found her hands full with the odd human who stood between her and Priestess.

“Get the hell out of the way!”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” The Attendant was calm in his demeanor much like Dhampir Hunter, but this human was very polite. “You and the others have become quite bothersome to my mistress, so I would ask that you please lay down your life and die.”

“Like hell we will! You and your vampire master have done enough damage and we’re going to put an end to it right now.”

“How troublesome. Then I have no choice but to deal with you myself.”

“I’d like to see you try!” Half-Demon Thief stood ready with her twin daggers, her right blade held with a forward grip position while the blade her left hand was held with a reverse grip, the blade toward her enemy. “ _I don’t like it; I don’t see any visible weapon and he looks very confident in the face of my daggers. Maybe a magic user, have to strike quick before he has a chance to cast his spell._ ”

Half-Demon Thief rushed in and with grace of a dancer, used her blades to strike at him but the Attendant would simply dodge to the side or move backwards to avoid her strikes. She would not let up, the moment he was able to chant a spell it would spell her doom, she then swiped upward with her left blade determined to cut his throat. The Attendant struck her blade with his right wrist, knocking her strike back with as a metallic clang much to the surprise of Half-Demon Thief.

“ _Metal bracers!_ ”

The Attendant grunted as he then slammed his right fist into the young demon’s left side, for her the wind was knocked out of her and she felt as well as heard the sound of something cracking. Half-Demon Thief painfully gasped as she hit the ground, she dropped her blades as she used her arms to clutch as her injured side.

“It would seem that you have chainmail under your outer clothing, a wise decision, it left you with only cracked ribs rather than broken ones.” The Attendant was ever calm in his reply as he walked towards her. “As you probably guessed, I use no weapon, just these bracers to protect against blades. What I am is a well-versed martial artist, I can easily read your movements and plan to counter them…thief.”

The Attendant calmly reached down and took hold of the young demon by her hair with his right hand and raised her up. Half-Demon Thief screamed as she reached up to grasp the man’s wrist with her hands in a futile attempt to break free; even as all this was happening the bland expression on his face never changed. The Attendant then slammed his left fist into her stomach, her eyes wide from the shock and the pain then he delivered two more blows, once again forcing her to gasp in pain before he threw her aside.

“How utterly boring.” The Attendant then held out his right hand to the side to stop the sounding rod from striking him, he turned his gaze to the young blonde woman. “I would advise against such foolish tactics.”

“Get away from her.” Priestess, though scared, would not stand idly by and watch her friend be beaten by this man. “I won’t let you hurt her. O Earth Mother, abounding in…”

“I would prefer you not do that young lady.” The Attendant still tightly gripping the sounding staff gave it a violent toss knocking Priestess to the ground with a slight yell. “If you insist on getting in the way, then I shall kill you first.”

Priestess hissed in pain but was shocked as she watched the man calmly stride over toward her clenching his fists as he prepared to beat her.

“You bastard! Get the hell away from her!”

The Attendant paused and turned his attention back toward the young demon and found her back on her feet, blades in hand once again, despite her taking quick shallow breaths to avoid hurting her ribs any further.

“We’re not done yet. So until you’ve killed me, I’m still your opponent.”

“Very well. Let us continue.”

While the young adventurers continued to fight their battles, Dhampir Hunter and Noble Vampire also continued with their sword battle. The anger across the Noble’s face was evident as she struck with all her might while Dhampir Hunter was calm, never showing more emotion than necessary.

“There you see! This is the skill of a Noble! You can’t even touch me!”

“I am carefully gaging your abilities. I have no intention of foolishly charging in without knowing what you are truly capable of.” Dhampir Hunter then pushed in bring his blade close to her face. “Your skills are not too bad for a false Noble.”

“Damn you mongrel! How dare you look down on me!” The initial shock of him getting close enough to nearly attack her was replaced with pure rage. “I AM A NOBLE!”

Dhampir Hunter stared at the woman with a neutral voice, he then glanced upward and with a quick swipe of his sword destroyed the approaching gargoyle as it hit the ground shattering into several pieces. He once again looked toward the woman, her gaze made only more intense by the fact that her eyes were glowing.

“Tell me, who are you trying to convince of your heritage, me or yourself?”

“I WILL KILL YOU!!!”

xxxx

More than three hundred years ago, the landscape was far different from what it was now. The forces of good and evil waged war in a battle for supremacy, those just trying to live their lives in peace found themselves trapped in the middle of this war. One such was a young woman, whose family had been slaughtered by the minions of a vampire lord. She and other women and children of the village had been taken captive to serve the Nobility in some form or fashion. The children had been used as food for the Nobles of the castle while she and the other women were transformed into creatures of the night. Unlike the other women, she grew to love this change, her sense of superiority over others filled her with joy. Her Master and the others of the Nobility were always quick to remind her of her position as nothing more than a concubine, but she would always tell herself she was just as equal to any of them.

Fifty years had passed since she had been taken and changed, her beauty had never faded and she found herself living quite the life of luxury, minus the times she was required to service her lords. Others had killed themselves or had been killed by the Nobles, she had managed to survive, all that changed the day he came into the castle. No one knew how he entered or where he came from, but a hinter arrived in the castle, using the element of surprised her made quick work of many of the Nobles. She herself had hidden away and only when the time was right did she run to save herself. She never got a good look at the hunter, she was not foolish enough to go head first and attack him, but she had seen a figure in a long black coat with a wide brimmed hat and long sword split one of the other vampires in two.

Over the next two hundred years she moved around, sometimes acting as a servant to a stronger person other times being the one in charge. That is until she just so happened to save a particular adventurer, she hadn’t meant to save him or rather intended to have him for her meal, but this man swore his loyalty to her that he and his descendants would serve her loyally. It was only in the last fifty years that she finally built up her power to take over this castle and cast her influence over the creatures in the area.

xxxx

“ _You mongrel…I worked to achieve my status! I won’t be looked down upon anymore!_ ” Vampire Noble screamed as she charged once again using her sword and bolts of fire from her hands to push him back further away from her. “Die you miserable piece of shit!”

Harefolk Bowman had fired his last metal bolt but only managed to take three of them due to their speed. He was forced to go back to his wooden bolts and saw Rhea Fighter struggling to keep her comrade away. The vampiric Wizard Boy took hold of her arm and flung her across the roof, as she struggled to get back up another gargoyle swooped in and clawed at her arm. He immediately raised his crossbow but remembered these wooden bolts would do nothing against the stone creatures, then his eyes feel back on the Dhampir Hunter avoiding the bolts of fire coming from the Noble.

“ _If I can kill her, all this ends. It will stop the Wizard and Cleric from attacking and might stop these damn gargoyles._ ” Harefolk Bowman turned his crossbow toward the Noble. “ _Just one shot…all I need is one shot._ ”

Noble Vampire angrily hissed at the Dhampir, the fight had been going on too long for her own liking and once again raised her left arm to fire another firebolt when suddenly struck her chest. The Vampire Noble Screamed in pain as she looked down and saw the wooden bolt in the left side of her chest, all eyes fell upon her and for a brief moment her Attendant was worried by the sight of her injured.

“Got her.” Harefolk Bowman had a smile on his face, but this brief moment of joy would not last long.

Noble Vampire angrily hissed as she took hold of the bolt and tore it out of her chest, his bolt had missed her heart by only a couple inches.

“You damn son of a bitch!” Noble Vampire turned her attention towards the young Harefolk, if her expression could kill he would have been dead already.

She screamed once again as she flung the bolt back at him with incredible speed. The bolt struck him in his left shoulder, easily tearing through his flesh and through his bone. He screamed as he hit the ground, dropping his crossbow as he struggled to reach up to pull the bolt out of his shoulder but even the simple act of touching it sent a surge of pain through his body.

“No!” Rhea Fighter could only scream as she watched her colleague fall to the ground with the bolt in his shoulder.

“You should be focusing on me this is not time for distraction!”

Wizard Boy struck at her once again, knocking her to the ground where he then pounced on her ready to bite her neck. Rhea Fighter finally had enough, seeing him act this way and now Harefolk Bowman injured while trying to help had infuriated her. She screamed as she swung her shield away from her and struck Wizard Boy across the face. He rolled to the side surprised by the strike and as he prepared to attack she now tackled him, pressing her shield tightly against his throat and pressing her sword against his chest above his heart, he looked up surprised to see her so angry.

“I’ve had enough your stupidity! I’ve been the only one defending your petty behavior, but no more!”

“Don’t you dare look down on…”

“You shut your damn mouth! You’ve been worried about others looking down on you or speaking badly of your sister but from what I’ve seen, you’re the one tarnishing her legacy!” Rhea Fighter was so angry that tears ran down her face as she looked at the surprised face her of her comrade. “You do nothing but act like a petulant child who did not get his way! Because of you, one of our colleagues has been injured! If your sister was still alive, I’m sure she’d be ashamed of what you’ve become! If you want to do something that will make her proud, then get your head out of your ass and start acting like an adult!”

Wizard Boy could only look at her with wide eyes as he heard her scream at him, this was the only person who had always been smiling at him, even during their most difficult quests. Now though, she was no longer smiling and to hear everything she said, basically scolding him for everything they had endured was quite sobering. While all of this was happening, Rookie Warrior too was struggling to keep his friend at bay as she continued to slash as him and his shield; Fighter was struck by one of the gargoyles and unable to go and help her comrades.

“You got to break free of her control, you stronger than this.” Rookie Warrior continued to back away struggling to avoid using his sword against his friend.

“Shut up and give me your blood! Let me feed!”

Rookie Warrior was pushed back once again towards the ledge, a quick glance over his shoulder not only showed him how high up they were, but around much of the castle were dozens of pikes acting as a pit of spikes to land upon. Though brief he was able to make out several skeletal figures impaled on the pikes and if he was not careful, he would end up joining them. He turned his attention back to the front and saw Apprentice Cleric hiss before charging at him, his instinct told him to move and he did as he rolled to his left as slashed at the area he had been and her momentum carried her over the edge.

“No!” Rookie Warrior from his crouching position leapt forward, extending his left arm and managed to catch her wrist before she fell.

Apprentice Cleric tightly gripped his wrist as she became aware of the situation and looked below to see the pit of spikes she would have landed on if not for him. She looked up and even though the mistress’s command told her to attack and to feed, she watched him struggle to maintain his grip.

“You…you saved me.”

“I got you…I won’t let you fall.” Rookie Warrior grunted as he attempted to pull her up only to cry out in pain.

One of the gargoyles swooped in and tore at his back, even cutting through his chainmail. Rookie Warrior grunted through the pain as he maintained his grip on her wrist, he looked up to see three of the gargoyles circling around.

“Let go of me. They’ll kill you.” Apprentice Cleric looked up to see the gargoyles and was worried for her comrade.

“No way…in hell am I letting go.” Rookie Warrior continued to maintain his grip with his left hand as he wildly swung his right arm with sword to try and keep the gargoyles away.

He then saw one of the creatures coming in from his right and another from his left, there was no way to stop them both, a decision needed to be made. He flung his sword to the right, watching as the blade smashed through the gargoyle’s wing as both fell to the ground. The second gargoyle swooped in and tore at his back again, but now he was able to grip her arm with both hands despite the pain.

“Your…your sword. You got from the Lich Queen’s castle…you’ve treated it like it was a priceless treasure. Why would you do something so stupid?” Apprentice Cleric looked up at him with a worried look as the gargoyles continued to circle. “You idiot, let me go! They’re kill you, save yourself!”

“I…I refuse to let you drop. You’ve always…been looking out for me, so now…it’s my turn.” Rookie Warrior hissed as he felt the blood running from his wounds but tightened his grip on her wrist. “No matter what happens, you and me…were in this to the end!”

Apprentice Cleric was at a loss for words as she heard him, tears ran down her face as she gave his wrist a gentle squeeze as she watched two more of the gargoyles preparing to attack. She worried this next attack would be the last and they would both go over the side, she needed to say what was on her mind if this was to be the last attack made by the enemy.

“I need to tell you that I…”

“Carbunculus…Crescunt…Iacta!”

A ball of fire flew overhead, instantly destroying the gargoyles; the two adventurers could feel the heat above them but looking back up they saw the gargoyles were gone. Suddenly, a new set of hands reached over the side near Rookie Warrior as Fighter reached down and took hold of Apprentice Cleric’s other hand.

“I got you, ok together…pull!” Fighter grunted as she and Rookie Warrior, though tried and injured, pulled Apprentice Cleric back to the top of the ledge.

Once back on top the worried Apprentice Cleric was relieved to see her two comrades and further back saw Wizard Boy had destroyed the gargoyles with his staff while Rhea Fighter helped support Harefolk Bowman.

“What…what were you going to tell me?” Rookie Warrior panted heavily as he looked back toward her comrade.

Apprentice Cleric looked toward him, tears still present in her eyes as she quickly leaned in and hugged him tightly.

“Thank you…thank you so much.” Apprentice Cleric knew that right now was not the best moment but would make it a point to tell him the truth once this was all done. “ _I’m going to tell him the truth._ ”

Priestess was struck by the back of Attendant’s right fist as she hit the ground, a small trail of blood running down her chin. She struggled to push herself back up, though not a fighter like her comrade, she would not allow him to approach Half-Demon Thief who lay motionless on the ground.

“You…why are you doing this? Why help her?”

“Because it is my duty young one. My father has faithfully served her and his father before him, we have sworn loyalty to our mistress.”

“Your father but…what of your mother?” Priestess had gotten back to her feet using her sounding staff to support her.

“Sacrificed to my mistress.”

His comment caught Priestess by surprise as she heard this, the shock was only intensified by his calm emotionless face and neutral tone.

“Your mother…was sacrificed? And you are fine with that? It doesn’t bother you at all that she is gone!” Priestess was both angry and terrified by how casually he spoke about those of his family.

“It is our destiny to serve the mistress.”

“What…what kind of destiny is that?”

Priestess and the Attendant turned their attention to see Half-Demon Thief slowly getting back to her feet, she spit the blood from her mouth as she angrily glared at the Attendant.

“So…you’d find a wife…and use her just to produce a child then get rid of her?” Half-Demon Thief struggled to walk toward him with her blades in hand.

“When I find someone worthy of bearing my child, she too shall be sacrificed, all for my mistress.”

“You damn monster!” Half-Demon Thief had a look of disgust on her face as she stared at this man. “What you and your family are doing…I’d same it’s just as bad as what the goblins do to their captives. In fact, you’re no different than them in my eyes!”

The Attendant had a slightly frown on his face as he heard this, he then rushed over and once again slammed his fist into her stomach. While she struggled with the pain in her stomach, he then struck her across the face with enough force to knock her to the ground, then raised his foot and brought it down hard upon her left shoulder. Half-Demon Thief screamed as he twisted his foot in place as he continued to step on her body.

“Apologies…I lost my temper there for a moment.” Attendant reached down, gripping the girl by her throat and raised her up until they were face to face where he proceeded to squeeze. “Soon, you won’t have to suffer any further.”

Half-Demon Thief struggled to catch her breath as he squeezed tighter and tighter and despite the pain in her body she reached out with her right arm and placed her right hand on his throat and started to squeeze, this action brought out a small chuckle from the Attendant.

“How foolish your struggles are. You lack the strength to strangle me with just one hand…Thief I believe is what I heard you were called?”

“I…I’m not just a thief…but an assassin as well.” Half-Demon Thief had a smile on her face as she looked at him.

She suddenly extended her right index finger outward, what he could not see was a small metal ring around her finger and attached to the ring was string connected to her gauntlet. The moment the string was pulled a hidden blade extended from the bottom of her gauntlet stabbing through his neck and emerging out the other side. There was a sudden look of surprise on his face as the blood ran from the entry and exit wound; with the momentary surprise Half-Demon Thief violent turned her wrist as the blade broke off her gauntlet and remained within his neck. Attendant released her as he moved both hands towards his throat in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Half-Demon Thief hit the ground hard but had a small smile on her face as she watched the Attendant stumble around, blood running from his neck and mouth as he gurgled on his blood. With a final pained look on his face, he dropped to his knees before toppling over onto his side still clutching at his neck as he bled out.

“Fortunate for you…I kill goblins.” Half-Demon Thief slumped to the ground completely exhausted from the fight. “ _That…that was a hell of a tough fight._ ”

“Are you okay?” Priestess rushed to her friend’s side to slowly help her back up. “What was that?”

“Hidden blade in my gauntlet…something my brother taught me.” Half-Demon Thief struggled to catch her breath, though everything seemed to hurt her, she quickly retrieved her blades. “Get me a healing potion from my pack. Let’s finish this fight.”

Noble Vampire found her sword broken as she was knocked back by the Dhampir Hunter. She tossed aside her broken weapons and raised her arm to fire her firebolt once again when she heard the shriek from above, a hysteric smile broke across her face as the last of her gargoyles swooped in to attack.

“Lord of Judgement, sword-prince, scale-bearer, display here your power…Holy Smite!”

A bolt of lightning flew forward and struck the nearest gargoyle and then arched outward toward the other gargoyles, they shrieked before falling to the ground shattering upon impact. Noble Vampire looked on with surprise at this sight then looked back toward the Dhampir Hunter now to see the other adventurers by his side, including the two infected with vampirism. A quick glance to the side and she saw her Attendant lying motionless on the floor a pool of blood around his body.

“How dare you…HOW DARE YOU!” Noble Vampire composure long gone now devolved into hysteria as she quickly looked toward all these adventurers. “ALL OF YOU ARE BENEATH ME!!! HOW DARE YOU SEEK TO BE MY EQUAL!!!”

“It is over vampire. You minions have fallen, you are all alone now…it is time for you to perish.” Dhampir Hunter raised his sword high and took hold of the grip with both hands.

“BEGONE FROM MY SIGHT!” Noble Vampire raised her hands to attack the adventurers but would not get the chance even launch one firebolt.

“O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, grant your sacred light to we who are lost in darkness…Holy Light!”

A bright light filled the area behind the adventurers, Noble Vampire screamed as she brought her hands up to shield her eyes, her exposed flesh burning from the light that shone as bright as the sun. She moved her hands to away to attempt to see what was happening only to see a figure shroud in darkness rushing toward her. Her eyes were wide as she saw a figure in a long coat, with a wide-brimmed hat and long sword in hand charging forward, his eyes glowing blue in the darkness. The figure brought his sword down, cutting her diagonally from her left shoulder to her stomach. Once again she screamed as blood erupted from her wound and the two halves of her body fell apart from each other. Holy Light had subsided and Dhampir Hunter gave his sword a quick shake as the vampire’s blood splatted against the ground.

“It…it was you…those centuries ago…it was you.” Noble Vampire struggled to speak as she looked toward Dhampir Hunter cursing herself for not realizing it sooner. “You…came to finish me off…didn’t you? To finish…what you started?”

“I don’t know who you are, nor do I care. I am a vampire hunter and you are a vampire, that is all I need to know.” Dhampir Hunter was cold in his reply as he sheathed his sword and casually walked over toward the other adventurers.

Noble Vampire let out one final gasp before she finally died, within an instant her body began to shrivel up before turning into dust. Apprentice Cleric and Wizard Boy gasped as they suddenly felt different, they turned to their comrades who confirmed that they no longer had the elongated fangs, the curse had been broken.

“That was me…wasn’t it?” Wizard Boy had a visible frown on his face as he looked toward the ground. “That attitude of hers, I was showing the same thing to you all. I’m sorry, I don’t know how to make this up to you all.”

He then felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see the bruised Rhea Fighter smiling at him.

“The fact that you can recognize it, is the first step towards bettering yourself. If you are able to use this as a learning experience, then I’m sure your sister will be proud of your accomplishments.” Rhea Fighter as the elder of the group knew now was the time to be calm in her delivery.

Wizard Boy smiled, then he and his comrade turned to see Fighter taking hold of the wooden bolt in Harefolk Bowman’s arm, having him bight down on a cloth before she yanked it out. Even with the cloth in his mouth there was an audible groan from him, thankfully Apprentice Cleric was there to use heal to tend to his wound.

“Gods, does that hurt.” Harefolk Bowman breathed a final sigh of relief before looking toward the adventurers and smiling. “Thank you…the vampire is dealt with so peace should return to my village.”

“You should really be thanking the Dhampir, he slew the vampire.” Half-Demon Thief smiled as she motioned toward Dhampir Hunter.

“No thanks are needed. I was merely hunting my prey.”

“You really are just like him, and on that note, let’s get out of here and back to Goblin Slayer.” Half-Demon Thief turned toward Priestess and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Yes. We have quite the story to tell when we return.”

“What will you do now?” Rhea Fighter brought the crossbow to Harefolk Bowman who finished setting him arm in a sling.

“I imagine I’ll head back to my village. Though this adventure was difficult, it was certainly exciting.” Harefolk Bowman slung his cross bow over his good shoulder.

“Then…would you join our party?” Rhea Fighter had a slight blush on her face as she looked toward him.

“You…you want me to join?” Harefolk Bowman was surprised by the offer, he had planned on eventually becoming an adventurer, he then turned his attention towards Wizard Boy.

“We’d be very fortunate to have your skills on our group. I know I would have been saved if not for your assistance.” Wizard Boy now practicing his humility nodded his head toward Harefolk Bowman.

“Then, I shall accept. I’ll let my father know when we return.”

“Good. This way I’ll have someone to carry me through the rivers and swamps.” Rhea Fighter smiled as she felt the blush on her face intensify.

“I can tell this is going to be an interesting group.” Harefolk Bowman chuckled as he looked toward Rhea Fighter and Wizard Boy with a smile.

“We did it. We managed to see this quest through.” Rookie Warrior stood towards the edge of the castle looking out at the forest as the sun began to break over the horizon.

“It was certainly a difficult quest for sure. Though perhaps the next one we take should be a little easier.” Apprentice Cleric smiled as she stood beside her comrade.

“Yeah, if all the quests you two take on are going to be like this, then I’m sure how long I’ll be able to last.” Fighter chuckled as she joined the two to look out over the horizon.

“Oh come on, yeah it was challenging and we each got injured in some form or another, but surely this beats chasing down rats in the sewer.” Rookie Warrior smiled as he though about how far they had come in nearly two years at the Guild.

Fighter and Apprentice Cleric thought about what he said and after a few moments smiled as they too agreed that they had come far. Out in the forest a large creature emerged through the treetops, it was a massive butterfly in its legs was a large deer bleating as the winged creature flew off in the distance with its meal. Everyone, save Dhampir Hunter, looked at the sight of this butterfly, several times larger than the others fly away and their smiles quickly faded.

“Oh second thought, this adventure was terrible. Let’s get the hell out of this forest.” Rookie Warrior now without his sword felt very vulnerable.

“Agreed.” Apprentice Cleric and Fighter nodded their heads as they too wished to be back in Frontier Town as soon as possible.

xxxx

Traveling through the castle, Harefolk Bowman made the unfortunate discovery that the villagers who had been taken that night had been slain by the vampire as they were used to feed her and serve as mindless monsters. Upon exiting the castle, something nearby was shining in the sun light, Rookie Warrior looked over and was surprised to find his blade now stuck in the dirt. He quickly rushed over to retrieve his sword, but as he sheathed it wondered how it had ended up on this side of the castle. Where he had through it, it should have been lost somewhere in the woods or in the spike pit off to the side of the castle, in fact the gargoyle body was nowhere to be found.

“I don’t get it.” Rookie Warrior shook his head as he tried to figure out how this had happened.

“This may be a gift from the Supreme God, your sacrifice to save another has been rewarded.” Apprentice Cleric offered her answer though she too had no definite way to prove this had happened.

The trip back to the Harefolk village was less perilous that before, following Harefolk Bowman’s marking and remembering to avoid the lily pads and quicksand, they had reached the intersection in the roads within three days.

“This is where we part ways then.” Dhampir Hunter calmly turned toward his left but gave the group a final nod before his departure.

“Why not come with us?” Priestess had a slight frown as she watched him walk away, worried about him going off on his own.

“Remember, I not an adventurer.” Dhampir Hunter stopped in his tracks and brought his index finger and thumb to his mouth and whistled.

His whistle echoed in the forest and after a few moments the group heard the heavy footsteps of something approaching, it almost sounded like that of a horse. From within the forest they caught sight of something glowing, surrounded in blue flames with red eyes as it galloped toward Dhampir Hunter.

“Your horse…but I thought you had killed it.” Half-Demon Thief was surprised by the sight of this massive beast alive and well.

“He is a demonic beast, even if he dies he’ll respawn after a few days.” Dhampir Hunter mounted the massive horse before looking toward the group and smiling. “It was a pleasure to work with you. Take care of yourselves.”

With a shout he and his steed took off down the opposite road, the adventurers were indeed surprised but too smiled as they waved toward him even if he couldn’t see them anymore. The group continued down the other road and by dusk they had reached the Harefolk village. Though upset about the loss of their people, the rest of the village was delighted to see them back and overjoyed to hear that the threat to their village had been destroyed. There was a small celebration to honor the adventurers and it was decided that they would stay the night and then depart in the morning.

Off in one of the guest rooms, Apprentice Cleric was using a small mirror to look at her teeth, carefully checking to see that her teeth had returned to normal.

“ _They don’t longer so I guess that means I’m fully human again. No more desire for blood anyway._ ” Apprentice Cleric moved her fingers away from her mouth when she suddenly heard a knock at the door. “Come in.”

“Hey, you alright?” Rookie Warrior entered the room and closed the door behind him.

“Oh hello. Just checking to make sure my teeth weren’t fangs anymore.” Apprentice Cleric had a small blush on her face as she set the mirror down. “I…I really want to thank you for all you’ve done for me.”

“Of course, what kind of friend would I be if I tried to hurt you or left you to that curse?”

“What you said at the castle, how you and I were in this to the end, it was really cool.” Apprentice Cleric smiled as she looked towards him. “ _Supreme God give me courage._ ”

“Oh uh…thanks.” Rookie Warrior sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “I mean…you’re always watching over me so…I thought I should carry my weight too. I…I should let you get some sleep, it’s been a long week.”

He turned to exit the room when Apprentice Cleric reached out and took hold of his hand.

“Wait. Would you…would you stay the night with me?”

“Uh…oh, you’re still worried about all that happened. Not to worry, I’ll be here to keep you safe.” Rookie Warrior completely oblivious to what was being asked of him smiled brightly.

“You can be so dense sometimes.” Apprentice Cleric sighed as she felt her heart racing then took both his hands in hers and looked up at him. “I’m asking that you stay the night, here…with me, and not just tonight but every night.”

Rookie Warrior looked at her with wide eyes as he realized what she was saying and calmly pulled her towards him where he embraced her and she him.

“I’m not good with this, but like I said, you and I are stuck on this journey together…for better or worse, I have you and you have me.” Rookie Warrior though nervous stared at his friend with a smile.

She in turn looked toward him and smiled before the two brought their lips together. What the next day would bring, none of them could predict but for tonight they would enjoy each other’s company.

xxxx

“Master, the hydra have been released into the sewers, it will only be a matter of time before they make their way to main canals.”

Necromancer frowned as he looked over his notes, the kraken eggs had taken well to the elixir and were able to move through the water with ease. He was nearly ready to begin his massive experiment on the countryside and the capital, but there was still one big problem he had to consider.

“How to deliver the elixir to the people?”

“Master?” The Faceless Man by his side curiously looked toward his master.

“The enhanced rats and roaches patrol the sewers to dissuade anyone foolish enough to try and seek out our laboratory. The Hellhounds, Brutes, and Abominations are loaded up on carts ready to be dispersed through the countryside, but how to spread the gift. How rude of us to keep this miracle to ourselves, but I can’t just force every person to drink it…they must do it willingly. But how?”

“Perhaps some wine will help you clear your mind.” The Faceless Man poured a goblet full of the liquid and brought it to the Necromancer. “You have done so much to help these people by creating this formula. Surely once they have seen the wonders it can create, they will be eager to join you.”

“Perhaps. I am deeply appreciative of all the support you have given…wait.” Necromancer looked toward the goblet of wine when a sudden thought popped into his head. “Heh, heh. You are quite wise yourself, I think the wine has given me a creative idea.”

Necromancer looked around the sewer and to his delight spotted a small rat scurrying about the floor. He calmly walked toward the rats and spilled a small amount of the wine on the floor then from within his coat pulled out a small vial of the elixir and added a couple drops to the spilled wine. He took a few steps back, returning the vial to his coat and holding his goblet as he waited patiently for his experiment to commence. The rat, eventually caught the smell of the wine and ran over to begin drinking the liquid after nearly a minute, the rat began to shriek painfully as it began to grow in size, it teeth becoming razor sharp fangs and small spikes appear on its back.

“Magnificent, even when diluted it still has such effectiveness.” Necromancer quickly finished his wine before kneeling down to call the rat. “Come to me little one. Come to your master.”

The rat hissed but then ran over carefully placing itself in the Necromancer’s hand, who was smiling as he stood and brought the mutation towards his face. He chuckled to himself before throwing the rat off to the right into one of the cages where the Hellhounds were being kept who eagerly devoured the small creature.

“Magnificent, simple magnificent.” Necromancer began to chuckle in a sinister manner before breaking into hysterical laughter. “We are ready to begin! We shall spread the gift to every village around the countryside and when the King has seen the wonders I have shared with the world, then the Capital shall receive its own reward. For the Miracle of Life!”

**Author’s Note: Since the end of the Time Paradox Arc I’ve been hinting at his appearance, in every arc he or his minions have been present in some shape or form now…it’s time for him to take center stage. The Necromancer Arc is here!**


	66. Chapter 66

“So how was the hidden blade?” The Dwarven Blacksmith chuckled as the young demoness came by his shop to get her gauntlet repaired.

“It certainly saved me during that quest. The blade however broke off, so it has me wondering, should I go with a shorter sturdier blade or the longer blade to ensure penetration.” Half-Demon Thief carefully examined the gauntlet extend her index finger to extend the blade. “The mechanism works great, over extend once to draw out the blade and over extend again to retract the blade. I’m also wondering if I should place the gauntlet above or below the wrist.”

“A fine question indeed, if it is above the wrist and you extend your finger you run the risk of cutting off your own finger as the blade extends.”

“I’d rather not lose my finger in the process. The blade my brother would use was under the wrist, but if the blade breaks then the gauntlet become useless.”

“I’m no assassin but it sounds like this underhanded blade is designed for a quick silent kill, not a straight fight. Then what about this…” The Dwarven Blacksmith brought out a second gaunt let with the draw string at the top. “This gauntlet has a smaller, sturdier blade, this one would be used if your own blades were lost and you needed to continue the fight. When you tightly clench your fist, it will pull the string to draw out the blade, when you relax your fist the blade would retract. Keep this gauntlet on your left wrist and the other on your right wrist and I’ll provide replacement blade for both, changing the blade is not difficult.”

“You certainly want to make the sale, but you’ve convinced me, I’ll take them both and the blades.” Half-Demon Thief placed a small pouch of gold coins on the table then looked toward his wall and spotted one other item that drew her attention. “I’ll also take that bandolier of Eastern throwing knives as well.”

“Good eye there lass. These will be quite useful if you ever have to deal with enemies at a distance.” Dwarven Blacksmith smiled as he brought the knives down to her then counted out his payment and gave her the rest back. “I hear your that Goblin Slayer also has quite a few throwing knives on his person, though most of them come from the goblins.”

“I plan on retrieving these and I also plan on using a certain ingredient with them.” Half-Demon Thief smiled as she finished attached the gauntlets to her wrists and the bandolier around her chest.

“Ingredient?”

“It’s time to start thinking more like an assassin, there’s an alchemist around here I also visit…not to worry I’ll still be coming here to do business with you.” Half-Demon Thief smiled as she tested both gauntlets in activating the blades and retracting them. “The alchemist may charge more but he has quite the wide assortment of odds and ends, including the acid vials.”

“I hear those vials are actually created from the remains of vanquished slimes, hence the reason they can burn through things so efficiently.”

“I wouldn’t know about that, but I’m aware of how deadly they can be, especially if they break on your person. What he also has is a variety of medicines and poisons, If I put the poisons in the pouches…”

“Then you’d have knives that would kill your opponents even if the wound was not fatal. Your leader would be quite pleased with something along those lines.”

“If it helps my party out then I’ll happily go along those lines, though I’m sure our elven archer won’t be too pleased with my techniques.”

While Half-Demon Thief was finishing up her purchase, Priestess was upstairs talking with her party members about their recent adventure with the vampire. After a week of travels the party was finally back at the Guild where things seemed to finally be going well, though there were rumors of something sinister affecting various villages around the countryside. At first the rumors mentioned only one or two villages affected by some odd plague, supposedly the forced of hell emerging from the houses to attack the people but now the number of affected villages seemed to be growing.

“Giant insects, man-eating plants and storming a castle to help out your colleagues. Even though it doesn’t sound like the situation was not the best, I can’t help but feel jealous, that’s what an adventure should be like.” High Elf Archer puffed out her cheeks in frustration as she nursed her mug of wine.

“I think if you had seen these creatures we had to deal with, you’d have been eager to return to hunting goblins.” Priestess had a weak smile on her face as she remembered all the odd monsters they had encountered.

“Even so, I am glad to see both you and our young demoness safely back at the Guild.” Lizard Priest happily ate his cheese with his daughter by his side while his love moved about the tavern.

“Quite the troublesome situation from the sounds of it, two of your party affected by the vampire’s curse, thankfully you ran into that odd hunter. Speaking of which, didn’t you mention that he reminded you of Beardcutter?”

“Another Orcbolg, and one that specializes in hunting vampires, I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.” High Elf archer smiled as she looked over toward their silent leader who listened to the tale while gently petting Wolf.

“Actually, if I had to be honest, I’d say that Goblin Slayer is actually friendlier than the hunter we met with.”

“Orcbolg…friendlier?” High Elf Archer briefly thought about this then broke out into laughter as she slammed her hand repeatedly upon the table. “You hear that Orcbolg, there’s someone out there less hospitable than you!”

“That doesn’t matter to me.”

“Are you telling them about the Dhampir Hunter? Did you get to mention the butterflies yet?” Half-Demon Thief smiled as she moved to join her comrades at the table, her new gauntlets and knife belt visible for the others to see.

“Upgrading your arsenal?” Dwarf Shaman smiled as he helped himself to his fire wine.

“Indeed, these gauntlets are well forged by the Blacksmith and will help me during our quests.”

“I heard about giant insects, spiders and roaches, but what’s this about butterflies?” High Elf Archer was genuinely curious about what they had seen on this adventure.

“Were they pretty?” Half-Dragon Daughter was eager to hear about the beautiful insects she would see in the woods growing up with her mother.

“Oh they were pretty…and deadly. These butterflies were as big as an eagle or a hawk, and three of them landed on a deer and drank him.”

Hearing about these butterflies actually attacking something, brought on a look of shock from those who had not been there to see it. Half-Dragon Daughter was at loss as she always thought of butterflies as cute little insects, now she wasn’t so sure.

“My word, they drank the deer. I would never have imagined such a thing even if I were to see it.” Lizard Priest tried to imagine the sight of a large butterfly attempting to attack it prey. “It does make one wonder if all giant beasts would be inclined to attack.”

“Perhaps such a beast could be led to a goblin cave…might be something to test.” Goblin Slayer pondered as he helped himself to his meal.

“You never cease to amaze me Orcbolg, every time we discuss something different it somehow steers right back to goblins.” High Elf Archer sighed as she shook her head. “It was difficult enough to have to fight those odd goblin monsters.”

“Speaking of unusual things, we also found the corpse of one of the Faceless Men in the spider webs while moving through the forest.” Priestess frowned as she remembered the shriveled body up in the trees.

“You found a Faceless Man? From what we the Leonin told us before they were attacked, they believed that they had seen a figure in black robes with a white plague mask lurking around the forest area the day before. This can’t be just mere coincidence.” Dwarf Shaman frowned as he rubbed his chin while think about what had been said.

“It may not be if the rumors coming in are to believed.” Spearman chimed in as he walked over with beer in hand to converse with the others.

Goblin Slayer and his party noticed that Heavy Warrior, his party, and the others they would associate with were all nearby to discuss what was being said.

“Knowing this hack, he won’t care about anything other than goblins, but for the rest of us, the rumors people have been saying are not sounding too good.” Spearman finished his beer while leaning against the nearby wall.

“What rumors? We only got back recently so we’re quite lost on this.” Rookie Warrior frowned as he worried about what was going to be said.

“Some sort of plague sweeping the land, reports of people turning into monsters, and people dropping dead then getting back up to kill others.” Heavy Warrior frowned as he remembered hearing the rumors being said in the guild the other day. “What’s most troublesome is the sighting of these men in plague masks seen around these spots where the plague has been spreading.”

“How many villages are being affected by this plague?” Half-Demon Thief was surprised to hear all of this.

“One or two villages, a couple other adventurers who had quests in the area said they would investigate.” Female Knight added when a sudden smile crossed her face as her keen nose picked up on the smells coming from the kitchen. “Mmm, that roast duck smell great.”

“Why don’t we order it then, that does sound pretty good right now?” Heavy Warrior smiled as he pulled Female Knight close to him.

“This may require investigation then.” Goblin Slayer’s comment caught the others by surprise. “These men, might be trying to contaminate the land the way the goblins had tried in the elven village and then releasing these new goblins. I don’t like it.”

“It might be about the goblins for you Beardcutter, but I agree that this situation may warrant further investigation.” Dwarf Shaman chuckled before he finished his drink and prepared to pour himself a further but never got the chance.

“Please you have to help! Near the town, I saw them! Goblins! Giant creatures with green skin!”

The sudden screams came from the front of the Guild where Guild Girl and Inspector attended to the frantic woman in front of them. All eyes in the tavern were on this woman who pleaded for aid while others looked towards Goblin Slayer to see how he would react.

“This beast, grabbed my horse by its neck and broke it like a boy snapping a twig!”

“Please calm yourself.” Guild Girl ever calm held up her hands to try and calm the frantic woman. “You say it was a giant goblin? Where did you see this creature?”

“Near the forest of the town, I was coming into town to buy my supplies for my village when it attacked. Please you have to kill it before it comes after me!”

“I understand, we shall send someone to go and investigate the nearby area.” Guild Girl had a small smile on her face as she looked over toward Goblin Slayer. “I imagine that you shall be the one to investigate this matter?”

“Of course.” Goblin Slayer stood with Wolf by his side then looked toward his party. “Are you coming?”

“And turn down an invitation like that, you’re on Orcbolg.”

“Give me a moment. There’s something I want to buy from the alchemist first, it may help us on this little excursion.” Half-Demon Thief was quick to reply as she wished to acquire her poison before going after the goblin.

“Understood.”

“Hey Goblin Slayer, you want any help on this one?” Spearman smirked as he tapped the shaft of his spear against his shoulder.

“I believe our party should be enough to deal with this goblin. Thanks. Now…it’s time to hunt some goblins!”

xxxx

Cow Girl sighed as she wiped the sweat from her brow as she watched the cattle out in the field while tending to the vegetables in the field adjacent to it. With hoe in hand, she would remove any unwanted rocks from the dirt to ensure the proper growth of the carrots and potatoes she used for the stew she would always make. Further away she could see her Uncle doing repair work on the fence, even though Goblin Slayer was pretty good about taking care of that sort of thing in the morning, while also removing unwanted weeds from the field, she looked around but did not immediately see Snow.

“ _She must be in the barn resting, little more than three weeks and soon she’ll be taking care of her litter. Once they’re old enough, we’ll see about letting my little dragon sister have one to raise on her own. She’s always so eager to play with Snow and Wolf so I can only imagine how happy she’ll be to hear this._ ” Cow Girl smiled as she continued with her work in the field when she saw something that struck her as odd. “ _Who is that near the well? A black cloak and a strange white mask…I don’t like this one bit. Best be careful._ ”

xxxx

“ _My fellow brother has gone to the town to deliver the miracle to their water well, the noble creatures have been released in the forest and now I shall attend to the farm and it’s well._ ” The Faceless Man reached into his cloak and withdrew a small vial containing a green fluorescent liquid within. “Now to follow the orders of my master and share the miracle with…”

A rock flew forward and collided with his right wrist, he briefly cried out in pain as he dropped the vial into the grass as he held his injured wrist. He looked up to see a young woman with short red hair and pink eyes standing nearby with sling in hand and a hoe by her feet.

“What do you think you’re doing at our well?” The young woman placed as new rock in the sling and prepared to use it again.

“Foolish child, you interrupt me as I’m trying to share my master’s gift with you.” The Faceless Man quickly looked around and found the vial nearby but would need to deal with the girls before he acted. “I cannot allow you to stop my righteous work. You will need to die.”

He once again reached into his cloak and withdrew a long, jagged dagger just as she hurled another rock at him. This time the rock struck his face, thankfully his mask protected him from any real damage, but the strike has heard enough to crack his plague mask close to the left eye. With a growl of frustration, he rushed toward the girl ready to kill her and get back to his business.

“ _Okay, the rocks hit him but here he comes!_ ” Cow Girl tossed her sling aside and reached for her hoe before whistling loudly. “ _Come on Snow, I just need to remember what he taught me._ ”

xxxx

“Teach me how to defend myself.”

After the attack on the farm by the Goblin Lord, Cow Girl had pulled her friend aside to speak with him.

“Your Uncle would not approve.”

“I don’t intend to be an adventurer, but if there is ever another attack and you are not here, we should be able to defend ourselves. Teach me to be able to take care of myself with the tools here.”

Goblin Slayer was silent for a moment, before finally taking out his sling and handing it to her.

“Any rock can become a weapon and with this you can launch them with deadly results. We shall practice so that you can hit your targets.” Goblin Slayer then looked toward the side and took hold of the hoe. “This tool has good weight to it and reach, this will be effective as well.”

xxxx

“ _Like he said, use the tool’s reach to your advantage, don’t rush in. The man has a blade, longer than a knife but shorter than a sword. Hold him back until Snow arrives._ ”

She held the hoe out to help judge how close this man was and once he was within reach of the blade, she moved back a couple steps as he slashed at the stop she had been. She then swung her tool toward him and cut into his right shoulder then once again moved back.

“ _I don’t enjoy hurting people, but this is about defending myself. Okay, same thing as before, keep him at a distance._ ” Cow Girl waited for the oddly dressed man to attack again.

As before, the Faceless Man tried to slash at Cow Girl but the moment she went to swing her tool at him be then backed away and prepared to slash at her. Cow Girl quickly moved back and used the hoe to push him back briefly as she prepared to defend herself once again. Just as the Faceless Man prepared to attack again when he was tackled by something large and white, Cow Girl had a big smile on her face at the sight of Snow here. The Faceless Man cried out as his right wrist was being crushed, he looked up to see a massive white wolf growling as bit down on his arm and pinned him to the ground.

“Good girl Snow. Now, what are you doing here and what were you doing by our well?” Cow Girl had a frown on her face as she stood off to the side with her tool upright in her hands.

The Faceless Man continued to grunt as the dire wolf cut into his arm, his dagger lost he had to finish these two off or he would fail in his divine quest. He reached into his cloak with his free hand and drew out a small knife and stabbed it into the wolf right leg. Snow gave a brief yelp as she released her grip on the man’s arm and backed away licking at her wound.

“Snow.” Cow Girl rushed to the dire wolf’s side where she could still see the small blade stuck in the wolf’s leg. “You monster, how dare you hurt her.”

The Faceless Man got back to his feet, he retrieved his dagger with his left hand, his right arm useless. He looked toward the young woman who still carried her farming tool in her hands as a visible frown crossed her face while the dire wolf remained by her side growling at him.

“Damn you both for your interference but rejoice as your lives will be sacrificed for a greater purpose. For the Miracle of…”

The Faceless Man suddenly grunted, the cause of which was the blade of a hoe deeply imbedded in to left side of his neck. Cow Girl’s Uncle had come up behind him and slammed his tool into the man’s neck with all his might. He then pulled the tool out and took a step back as he prepared to attack again if need be, but saw the man drop his blade as he used his left hand to try and stop the bleeding.

“ _Damn it…the elixir…I must…_ ” The Faceless Man moved his bloody hand towards the beak of his mask and tried to squeeze but suddenly toppled over.

Uncle, Cow Girl and Snow looked toward the man ready to attack if necessary but found the man was no longer moving as the blood spilled out of his neck.

“Are you alright?” Uncle breathed a sigh of relief as he moved over the body toward his niece.

“Fine Uncle thank you, are you okay?” Cow Girl quickly removed the knife from Snow’s leg then went about wrapping the wound with her handkerchief.

“I’m fine, never actually killed someone before…not a pleasant feeling that’s for sure.” Uncle frowned as he looked to the blade on the hoe and saw the blood still present on it.

“You did it to protect us. I don’t think you have to feel too bad about that action.” Cow Girl smiled as he moved toward her Uncle and took his hand in hers.

Her Uncle smiled then was surprised to find Snow nuzzling up against him. With a sigh of defeat and a smile on his face he reached out to pet the massive wolf.

“Yes, I’m glad you’re safe too. Never thought I’d be worried about these dire wolves.” Uncle then looked back to the man he killed then back to his niece. “Who was this man? Why did he attack you?”

“I don’t know who he was, but I had seen him over by the well.” Cow Girl calmly walked over toward the well where he had been standing and after a quick investigation found the vial of green liquid. “This…he had this in his hand, it looked like he was ready to pour it into the water.”

Her uncle frowned as he looked at the vial in his niece’s hand then back toward the body on the ground.

“This does not bode well. Put that vial away somewhere safe and then let’s get him covered up until your friend comes back. Maybe he might know something.”

“I’m worried that this is only the beginning of something terrible to come.”

xxxx

“Typical Goblin Slayer, if it’s something to do with goblins, then he’s the first go and take on the quest. And then he goes and turns down an offer of help…damn hack!”

Spearman and Heavy Warrior exited the Guild to go ahead make check on things given how the villager came in screaming about monsters and it would give the two a nice change of pace.

“Aren’t you just being a bit upset that you’ve had a chance to work with a colleague and you’re waiting for him to request you aid again?” Heavy Warrior chuckled as he continued to walk with his friend.

“Of course not you damn idiot, I’d sooner eat dirt than admit that weirdo is a friend.”

“Oh sure, you were eager to compete with him when we all took on that wizard at his tower sometime last year.” Heavy Warrior chuckled as they continued their rounds around the town.

“I just wanted to make sure that I had something to brag about when we got back to see Guild Girl; that and it was just a way of showing him what a true silver-rank adventurer should look like.” Spearman grunted as he looked around the area for any signs of something unusual. “He’s a capable man, but he only focuses on those damn goblins, I wish he’d try more challenging quests more frequently.”

“Spoken like a true worried comrade. Admit it, ever since he came to us asking for aid, you’ve seen him as an actual colleague and a good drinking buddy.” Heavy Warrior laughed as he saw how angry this made the Spearman. “I’m the same way, in his own weird way he was there helping to encourage me and my partner while we were stuck at the Hell Games.”

“Keep your opinions to yourself, Goblin Slayer can…wait hold up.” Spearman stopped himself as he took hold of Heavy Warrior’s shoulder. “Over there, you see him?”

Heavy Warrior stopped and looked in the direction his comrade was pointing to see a figure in a black robe and what looked like a plague mask within one of the alleys cautiously watching the people before moving further into the shadows.

“That’s one of the Faceless Men. There might be some truth to those monster goblins the villager told us about. Let’s see what he’s up to.” Heavy Warrior tightened his fist as he watched the man disappear down the alley.

“Agreed.”

Spearman and Heavy Warrior kept a distance as they quickly moved to catch up with the mysterious figure in black. From their hiding spot the watched as the figure in black was cautiously observing the comings and goings of the townsfolk near the well. While he was busy studying the people, he failed to notice the two adventurers slowly coming up behind him.

“Far too busy to deliver the elixir. Tonight, I can add it to the well and then my master’s will shall be done.” The Faceless Man mumbled to himself as he continued to look at the various townsfolks. “Half-elves, rhea, human and even centaur…they will prove to be interesting subjects to observe.”

“Is that a fact?”

The gruff voice caught the Faceless Man by surprise, he spun around to find a large man with short black hair and two visible scars on the left side of his face glaring back at him. Before he could draw out his dagger, the large man slammed his right fist into the man’s stomach and then followed up with a left hook across the man’s jaw while he was gasping for air. The Faceless Man hit the dirt road with a grunt of pain, quickly drawing the attention of the people around as Heavy Warrior stepped out of the alley cracking his knuckles. The Faceless Man tried to reach for his dagger but was stopped as a heavy boot stepped on his chest and the tip of a spear was brought to his throat.

“Not a another move or I’ll be forced to kill you.”

The Faceless Man growled in frustration as he held his hands up as he was tied up by the two adventurers and led back to the Guild Hall. Guild Girl and the others were quite surprised by the sight of Heavy Warrior and Spearman bringing in the tied up Faceless Man but were quick to usher him into the back office. Guild Girl, Inspector and the Guild Manager would interrogate this figure with Spearman, Heavy Warrior, Female Knight and Witch in the room to act as protection should he try anything. On a nearby table were the items they had confiscated from him: a small knife, a crooked dagger, a small vial filled with the green liquid, and his plague mask. Female Knight carefully examined the plague mask and to her surprise found another vial of the green liquid hidden in the beak of the mask.

“Chief of Justice, lord of the sword, lord of the scale, may your will help us see the light…Truth Reveal.” Inspector took hold of the small sword and scales medallion around her neck as she cast her spell. “We should be able to find out what he knows and what he was trying to do.”

Female Knight removed the small vial from the mask and removed the stopper and from a distance took in the smell. She immediately scrunched her nose and moved the vial as far away as possible before putting the stopper back on.

“Are you…alright?” Witch had a slight frown on her face as she looked toward her friend.

“It’s a foul smell. A strange scent…like blood mixed with brimstone.” Female Knight grimaced as she shook her head and gave a quick exhale through her nose to try and remove the stench.

“You are a Faceless Man yes?” Guild Girl in the center of this triad of interrogators asked the man before her. “Why do you refer to yourself as such?”

“Doesn’t look Faceless to me.” Spearman noted the bearded man who sat in the chair before him with medium length brown hair. “Just some excuse of a man dressed up as a damn black bird.”

“We…wear these…to hide our…identity. The mask…keeps are face hidden…we appear…as Faceless Men.” The man struggled to fight against the spell to reveal the truth.

“This vial, what is it and why were you trying to add it to the well?” It was the Guild Manager who now asked the next question.

“The vial…contains the elixir of life…it will push the mortal race…to the peak of perfection. The well…will aid in…distributing it to everyone.” The bearded man was covered in sweat as he continued to struggle against the spell his eyes focused on the vial upon the table.

“The Elixir of Life? Push people to perfection? Just what the hell are you talking about?” Heavy Warrior was deeply confused by what the man was talking about.

“That liquid is no elixir of life, it stinks of death. These guys must be trying to poison the water like the rumors we heard about.” Female Knight frowned as she shook her head looking back at the vial upon the table.

Guild Girl, Inspector and their Manager all looked toward each other with worried faces as they thought about this man trying to poison the well with this strange liquid.

“Who gave you the order to spread this elixir and where are they now?” Guild Girl had a stern look on her face as she hoped to determine who was responsible.

“My…my master…the…he is the Necromancer…through us…his gift will be sharded…with the world. He…he is….ahhhhh”

The Faceless Man screamed as he found he could not lie, and rather than reveal any other information about his master would show them all the wonders of the elixir. He stood and rushed towards the table before the others could stop him, then smashed his face down upon the larger vial of the elixir. Glass, blood and the elixir clung to his face before he opened his mouth and grabbed the other vial with his teeth. He clenched his jaw shut as he broke the glass vial and drank the elixir, he grunted from the pain of the glass cutting his throat but now the elixir was in his system.

“What the hell are you…what?” Spearman was surprised by his actions, but his frown was replaced with shock as he and the others saw the man’s body violently react to the liquid.

The Faceless Man grunted as his body trembled violently, his broke the ropes that had bound him, they saw his body tear trough his clothing as fingertips turned into claws and his face warped into a monstrous form.

“Get them out of here.” Heavy Warrior gave the command to his partner while he quickly drew out his claymore as he continued to watch the man’s body change.

Female Knight and Witch, though surprised rushed to lead Guild Girl and the others out of the office while Spearman and Heavy Warrior prepared to fight this creature. The five people rushed out of the office and dove away from the front desk as the office behind them exploded in a shower of debris. The other adventurers in the hall were shocked by the scene, though shaken, Female Knight and the others who had escaped from the office were unharmed. Half-Dragon Mother moved to protect her daughter while she looked at the dust growling as she prepared for whatever was coming.

“What…what was that?” Rookie Warrior drew out his sword as he looked toward the cloud of dust and debris by the front desk.

There was a horrendous roar and from the destroyed back office emerged a massive creature, covered in dark brown fur, several of its ribs tore through its skin and formed a sort of barrier around its stomach. The head of the creature resembled that of a wolf with jagged teeth that allowed the drool to ooze out of its mouth, its arms seemed far longer than they should have been as it placed one along the floor and another above it on the wall to help it move out of the office while still standing upright. The creature’s red pupil-less eyes scanned the area but eventually focused on two shape near the entrance of the door. Female Knight finally noticed the bodies of Heavy Warrior and Spearman slumped to the floor by the doorway, their armor damaged and they were bleeding slightly from being thrown through the wall of the office.

“Ugly son of a bitch.” Heavy Warrior coughed as he spit the blood from his mouth before slowly getting back to his feet.

“Okay, you managed to piss me off, not the smartest move on your part.” Spearman wiped the blood from his mouth using his gauntlet as he too stood with spear in hand. “Okay…let’s see what color your blood is you bastard!”

xxxx

“Did you hear that? Sounded like an explosion?” High Elf Archer paused as she turned to look back in the direction of Frontier Town.

“I unfortunately did not hear anything Lady Ranger.”

Goblin Slayer and his party were walking along the path he would normally use to travel to and from the farm but paused as they looked at what appeared to be a set of wheel marks that careened off the side of the dirt road. The group followed the trail into the nearby woods and eventually found the broken wagon and the carcass of the horse that had been pulling it, or rather half the body.

“So there’s the horse, do you really think it was a massive goblin?” Half-Demon Thief frowned at the sight of the half-eaten horse then looked ahead and gasped at the sight of the destroyed trees. “These trees…what the hell broke through these? A troll? An ogre?”

“I fear it is the same type of monsters we had to fight in the woods just a short week ago.” Dwarf Shaman sighed as he looked at all the destruction.

Suddenly there was a bellow that carried with it such malice that all adventurers readied their weapons. The ground began to shudder and soon enough a tree off to their right toppled over crashing to the ground with a heavy thud and out of the forest emerged the giant goblin as it walked on all fours.

“What…what is that thing?” Priestess was at a loss for the sight of the creature, something even larger than the Goblin Champion.

“The goblin.” Goblin Slayer held both weapons in his hands as he readied himself to attack.

“That’s a goblin? What the hell happened to it?” Half-Demon Thief reached for one of her new throwing knives with her right hand but wondered if the poison on these would be enough.

“These things can take quite a bit of damage, so be on guard.” Dwarf Shaman held the small pellets in his hand as he would wait for the first chance to use Stone Blast.

High Elf Archer drew back on her bow’s drawstring when her ears began to twitch as a new sound off to her left drew her attention.

“To the left of us!”

Lizard Priest turned his attention to the direction his comrade had warned them of and saw a large red creature charging toward him on all fours. The beast let out a horrific cry before leaping out of the forest to tackle Lizard Priest opening its jaws wide to bite at his face.


	67. Chapter 67

“Scaly!”

Dwarf Shaman turned with wide eyes as the beast pounced on Lizard Priest and tackled him to the ground, thankfully he had hold of the creature’s horns as he kept the beast’s jaws away from his face. Out in the open, the rest of the party could see the beast was as large as Wolf, with think red skin like exposed muscle with large green eyes and twin horns pointing forward from its head like that of a bull.

“I have him Sir Mage!” Lizard Priest grunted as he struggled to keep the beast from biting him. “Though assistance would be greatly appreciated.”

No sooner had he said this when Wolf Charged forward and sank his teeth into the creature back leg and savagely shook its head as it pulled back. The creature roared as it turned its head to snap at Wolf, it opened its mouth and out spewed a stream of fire. Wolf immediately released its grip and moved back though the smell of burnt hair lingered in the air. The creature growled as it stalked toward Wolf only for something to cut deep into its side, he roared once again and now found the lizardman back on his feet with a blade in hand.

“Are you alright friend Wolf?” Lizard Priest maneuvered by the dire wolf and smiled as he saw his comrade wag his tail. “We shall fight this one together!”

“Not alone you don’t!” Dwarf Shaman stood by his friend with sling in hand. “Now, let’s put this monstrous beast down.”

“Protection!”

While Lizard Priest and the others had their hands full with the Hellhound, Goblin Slayer and the others would deal with the goblin Brute. Priestess had cast her miracle to keep the monster from attacking, the Brute not understanding why it couldn’t hit the people before it continued to beat its fists against the invisible barrier.

“He is quite strong…I’m not sure how long I can hold him.” Priestess struggled to maintain the miracle as the monster continued its attack.

“Let’s move!” Goblin Slayer drew out his sword and mace as he charged through the barrier to attack.

He struck at the beast’s wrist with his mace, the crunching of the flesh and bone audible for all then followed with his sword delivering a dep cut. High Elf Archer and Half-Demon Thief followed behind Goblin Slayer but went after the monster’s opposite side. Half-Demon Thief was eager to test out her new weapons, and in rapid succession threw four of her poison knives at the creature’s chest. To her surprise, she found the knives had barely the creature’s hide, one of them even falling off the second the beast moved toward them.

“What the hell kind of skin does this thing have?” Half-Demon Thief quickly jumped back as the monster slammed its fist at the spot she had been standing.

High Elf Archer jumped onto the creature’s left arm then jumped once again before the Brute could catch her; she landed on his shoulder and took quick at the creature’s skull.

“These may not penetrate too deep from afar, but let’s see you stop this!”

High Elf Archer released her arrow, aimed directly for the top of the creature’s head only for it to bounce off upon impact, only a tiny wound evident of her attack.

“What the…”

High Elf Archer yelled as she jumped off the creature’s shoulder just as he swung its arm up to grab her. The moment she hit the ground she rolled off to the side then fired two more arrows, but as with Half-Demon Thief’s knives, the arrows did not penetrate the creature’s hide very deeply.

“Damn it, the skin is too tough to cause enough damage!”

The Brute grunted as it prepared to continue its attack against the two girls, until Goblin Slayer swung his mace upward, connected with the creature’s jaws as blood and several teeth flew from its mouth. The Brute growled in anger but did not so much as take a single step back as it raised both arms upward and attempted to smash the armored human but he jumped off to the side and once again used his sword to cut deep into its flesh.

“The bone and muscle are too thick, aim for the under its chin or for its eye!”

“The neck…got it Orcbolg!”

High Elf Archer drew out another arrow as Goblin Slayer moved in again to attack the monster with both weapons as the beast grunted from the blows and raised its right arm to strike him. As it lifted its arm it also raised his neck up and High Elf Archer saw her opportunity to strike; she drew back on her bow’s drawstring and let loose another arrow. The arrow flew and connected with the underside of the monster’s chin finally penetrating deep into its head. This attack had an effect as the monsters once again grunted but actually stumbled backwards but had not fallen over.

“It’s still standing! Is it so damn stupid it doesn’t realize that its dead?” High Elf Archer growled in frustration and she tightly clenched her fist around her bow.

“Then let’s teach it a lesson about taking on this group.” Half-Demon Thief reached into her back pouch and withdrew a vial filled with a clear liquid and threw it with all her might at the creature’s face.

The vial shattered and the liquid splashed against its face and immediately Goblin Slayer and High Elf Archer could see steam coming off the Brute’s face as the flesh began to melt away. The monster growled as it stumbled backwards once again swinging its arms wide as the damage to its face bothered it and now it had lost sight in its left eye.

“Goblin Slayer! Go for the exposed flesh!” Half-Demon Thief, happy that the acid had done its job, had hopefully exposed enough of a weak spot to finish off the monster.

Goblin Slayer nodded and charged forward, he had tossed the mace to the side and gripped his sword with both hands to increase the force behind his strike. He leapt upward, narrowly avoiding another one of the creature’s blows and rammed the blade into the exposed flesh. He grunted as he pushed the blade deep into the creature’s flesh until it finally appeared out the back of the Brute’s skull. The monster grunted once again, both High Elf Archer and Half-Demon Thief worried that even this blow had not killed the monster when it finally fell backwards like a tree, Goblin Slayer still holding the blade’s grip went with it. With a heavy thud, the body came to rest, Goblin Slayer had placed his feet on the monster body as it fell over and managed to avoid being thrown off, with a final grunt he pulled out the medium length red blade from the monster before hoping off its body.

While Goblin Slayer and his group fought with the Brute, Lizard Priest and the others battled with the Hellhound. Wolf snarled as it rushed in biting into the monster’s exposed flesh, the hide was tough almost like biting a thick piece of leather, the Hellhound retaliated by throwing its head to the side and stabbing one of its horns into Wolf’s left side of its body. Wolf gave a brief cry as if released its grip and backed away, the stab wound was thankfully not deep enough to fully incapacitate Wolf.

“Damn beast, I’ll teach you to hurt our direwolf.” Dwarf Shaman quickly put his sling away and threw out the small pebbles he had been holding in his other hand. “Come out, you gnomes, it time to work, now don’t you dare your duty shirk – a bit of dust may cause no shock, but a thousand make a lovely rock…Stone Blast!”

Dozens of the tiny stones began to grow in size and flew forward, each one striking the monster’s thick hide causing heavy damage as blood ran from various parts of its body. The Hellhound roared in pain as it threw its head back and backed away from the dwarf, but stopped itself as its one remaining good eye focused directly on him. Though nervous at the sight, the creature suddenly fell forward as it appeared that it had tripped over something, Wolf had gone behind it and one of its hind legs before it moved. Wolf bit down with his full force, bones could be heard breaking as it refused to release its grip; the Hellhound was preparing to turn around to attack when a heavy foot suddenly stepped down hard on its back.

“Foul beast! Your vile nature will end here and now!” Lizard Priest had a visible scowl on his face as he raised his Swordclaw high then brought it down in a quick swiping motion.

The heavy blade along with his strength easily cut through the Hellhound’s neck, removing the monster’s head from it body. Lizard Priest grunted as the head rolled off to the side then returned his blade back to its catalyst form.

“Nice job there Scaly!” Dwarf Shaman nodded his head in approval then heard the heavy thud and looked to see the Brute brought down and Goblin Slayer walking off the body. “You all alright over there?”

“We’re fine. The monster is dead.” High Elf Archer put her bow away as she looked over toward Half-Demon Thief who was retrieving her knives. “What was that vial you used? It seemed to eat away at the creature’s flesh so easily.”

“Acid. I had used some on the last quest and am happy to see it’s still useful even against these monsters.” Half-Demon Thief smiled but then shook her head as she placed the knives back into their pouches. “These knives are coated in the strongest poison the alchemist has, yet this monster acted as if nothing had happened. Anyone else would have been affected almost immediately, been dead in a matter of minutes…just what the hell kind of monsters is this?”

“I’m not too happy about the poison, but then again you used to be an assassin, so it makes sense.” High Elf Archer sighed with a smile as she shook her head then looked toward the body of the Brute. “This is the same monster we fought while you were off on your quest. It’s a goblin, but unlike anything we’ve ever seen.”

“ _Beloved, why did you not summon me? I would have been able to assist you and the battle would have gone much smoother._ ”

“I wanted to wait on the off chance there were more of these creatures. Even now, they could be around us.” Goblin Slayer sheathed his sword and went about retrieving his mace. “Is everyone alright?”

“I’m tending to Wolf’s injury now Goblin Slayer. Everyone else is alright.” Priestess finished using heal to undo the damage.

The adventurers regrouped to examine the bodies of the monsters they had fought against, though the monsters could be killed the beasts could endure quite a bit of damage and their hide was very tough.

“Alright, we have a massive goblin, roughly the size of an ogre and just as tough given how hard it is to cut through its hide. As odd as it sounds, I can understand what I’m seeing with this monster but…what the hell is this thing?” High Elf Archer shook her head as she turned her attention towards the other creature.

“The red skin, this is exposed muscle, this monsters should be in excruciating pain but the texture…it’s like leather.” Half-Demon Thief knelt down to feel the skin of the beast her ungloved hand. “This thing is as big as Wolf, but look at the head, these horns are like that of a bull.”

“Don’t forget it was also able to breathe fire.” Dwarf Shaman quickly added while he took a swig of his fire wine.

“Most disturbing. The beast has the body of a direwolf, yet its features and abilities are far beyond what a dire wolf is capable of.” Lizard Priest pondered as he brought a hand to his chin. “Perhaps a chimera of sorts?”

“What’s a chimera?” Priestess was confused by the unfamiliar term.

“A term used for a monster that is an amalgamation of different creatures. I’ve never seen one before though I had heard of a tale about a creature across the sea in a far off kingdom what was said to have the head of a goat, the body of a lion and a snake for a tale.”

“I’d rather not meet such a creature if at all possible.” Priestess nervously shook her head as she imagined seeing such a beast then turned to see Goblin Slayer using his sword near the body of the Brute. “What are you doing Goblin Slayer?”

“Removing the head. It’s impossible for use to take the whole body back, but if we take these back with us, the others at the Guild can see what to be on the lookout for.” Goblin Slayer grunted as he gave a final chop and removed the giant goblin’s head.

“ _Use a bit more finesse Beloved! I am a sword not a saw!_ ”

“Don’t quite like the idea you have their Orcbolg, but you’re right, we should bring them back with us.”

The party used two of their rain ponchos to act as sacks to carry the severed heads, Lizard Priest carrying one and Goblin Slayer carrying the other, when a sudden thought crossed Lizard Priest’s mind.

“Milord Goblin Slayer, a though just occurred. Look at the direction we were heading when investigating these claims.”

“We’re close to the farm.” Priestess suddenly gasped as she brought a hand to her mouth. “Your friend…Snow…”

There was an immediate look of worry on all the faces of the party save Wolf who was looking over the forest and Goblin Slayer’s whose expression was hidden behind his helmet.

“Let’s go! Wolf!” Goblin Slayer rushed back to the main path with the sack slung over his shoulder, Wolf following right beside him.

The others didn’t hesitate in following their leader, hoping that they were just overreacting, and all would be well when they reached the farm.

xxxx

There was a scream from outside the Guild as the people saw the broken body of what was once a human laying on the street. People ran away as the scream and cries within the Guild terrified them, what was going on none of them knew but the townspeople knew something was wrong as evident by the giant hole in the wall. Inside the monstrous form of the Faceless Man snarled as it swung one of its massive arms at the adventurers who surrounded him. By his feet were three more bloody bodies and in his left hand he held Female Knight by her throat, though he had not escaped unharmed as evident by the blood running from his various wounds.

“Ungrateful trash! I come here to share the Miracle of Life and you refuse his wonderful gift!” The Faceless Man snarled in a garbled speech as it swung it right arm once again at the adventurers.

Witch held out her staff and launched Magic Missile at the beast and watched as a large chunk of his flesh flew off while Half-Dragon Mother opened her mouth and spewed forth her fire breath which scorched the creature’s arm. Guild Girl held onto Half-Dragon Daughter and pulled her further towards the tavern area while the adventurers continued to fight the monster.

“Fools! Then you shall be the first to die!” The enraged Faceless Man flashed a horrendous grin towards the struggling Female Knight.

“Not if I kill you first!” Female Knight fell back on her bestial instincts as she bit down on the creature’s hand while stabbing her sword into its forearm.

The Faceless Man growled from the pain and prepared to crush Female Knight when Heavy Warrior leapt forward and using his claymore lopped off the monster’s left forearm. Female Knight dropped the floor where she removed the arm from around her throat and tossed it aside, spit the foul taste from her mouth.

“You ok?” Heavy Warrior held out his free hand to help his lover back to her feet.

“I’m angry does that count?” Female Knight took hold of his hand as he helped get her back to her feet then smiled. “But I got to admit that was pretty amazing how you chopped through his arm to save me. I think a reward is in order.”

“You choose the worst times to flirt.” Heavy Warrior smiled as he then turned his attention back to the monster and raised his sword to keep fighting.

The monstrous Faceless Man growled as it looked toward the two armored adventurers but failed to notice the two younger ones who snuck up behind him.

“Now!”

Rookie Warrior and Fighter rushing it from behind to attack the back of the monster’s knees. Rookie Warrior swung with his sword while Fighter struck with her spiked gauntlets, the blows forced the monster to drop to hi knees, he used his right to keep his body from completely dropping to the floor. Before he could get up Spearman leapt above him and jammed his spear through the monster’s wolf-like snout then forced it deep into the wooden floor. Spearman grunted as he placed his foot on the free part of the monster’s snout while still pressing the spear with both hands.

“How do you like that you bastard? See what happens when you mess with the wrong…”

Far from dead, the Faceless Man raised its right hand to strike at Spearman but never got the chance as Female Knight jumped over the monster’s body and used her sword to slice through the monster’s arm.

“You can’t be too cocky when it still can defend itself.” Female Knight smirked toward the surprised Spearman then looked back toward Heavy Warrior. “Finish it!”

“With pleasure!”

Heavy Warrior gave a mighty yell as he took hold of the claymore with both hands and raised the blade high over his head; with a mighty swing of the blade, he cut through the monster’s neck decapitating the monstrous figure. Everyone in the Guild was panting heavily as they kept their eyes on the body, expecting it to move once again, but all they saw was the blood spilling from its body. It was a large collective sigh as every finally put their weapons away and a few of them slumped to the floor from the exhaustion.

“There…showed you…bastard.” Spearman leaned against the wall allowing his spear to clatter to the floor.

“Are…you…alright?” Witch walked toward her partner and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I’ll survive. What the hell was that…I’ve never seen anyone transform into anything like that before.”

“That liquid…when he drank it, he transformed.” Heavy Warrior slumped to the floor with Female Knight by his side. “And to think he was trying to pour that into the well…just what the hell would that have do to the people who drank it?”

“You were amazing mama!” Half-Dragon Daughter had a huge smile as she hugged her mother.

“I was just making sure that you and the others were alright, it wasn’t anything special.”

“You were breathing fire like a real dragon and it pushed the monster back. Papa is going to be so impressed when he hears about this!”

“Are you all okay?” Apprentice Cleric helped Guild Girl and Inspector back to their feet in the tavern.

“We are thank you…thank all of you.” Guild Girl smiled as she bowed her head toward the other adventurers who fought off this monster.

“What about you two?” Apprentice Cleric turned her towards her comrades.

“We’re okay as well.” Rookie Warrior looked to the monster and shook his head. “What a monster…and look at all the damage he caused.”

“We’ll need to do something about those who fell in battle.” The Guild Manager frowned as the sight of the fallen adventurers who had fought to protect others.

The sudden mention of adventurers made Guild Girl gasp as she thought about the villager who had come in to tell the guild about that monster goblins they had seen.

“Goblin Slayer and his party went to deal with reports of gigantic goblins…do you think those things were somehow related to this man and the liquid he carried with him?”

The other adventurers, though worried were still tired of the battle they had just come out of, all they could do was tend to the mess left in the Guild and hope that their colleagues were alright.

xxxx

“Are you alright?”

Cow Girl was surprised to find Goblin Slayer and the rest of his party there at the farm but was nevertheless happy to have them back here.

“I am, thank you. Did you all want something to eat while we talk about the man who attacked us here?” Cow Girl smiled as she was quick to offer the others a meal so as not to appear rude.

“If you have any cheese that would be quite enjoyable.” Lizard Priest had a big smile on his face at the prospect of the meal.

“Hold up there Scaly. You said there was someone here who attacked you?” Dwarf Shaman surprisingly was the one to have them refocus on the important details.

“Over here.”

Cow Girl motioned for the others to follow her behind the farm where there was a body hidden underneath a burlap tarp. Cow Girl then noticed the sacks her friend and the lizardman carried had a dark red stain along the bottom.

“Did you also encounter something unpleasant along the road as well?” Cow Girl had a slight frown in her face as she looked toward her friend.

“We had to face a mutated goblin and a red wolf creature.” Goblin Slayer gave his friend a brief reply as he knelt down and pulled back the tarp to see the figure in black with a plague mask. “Are you hurt?”

“Only Snow received a small injury from this man. Uncle managed to get behind him and struck him with his hoe. The training you gave me helped keep me safe, so thank you.” Cow Girl smiled as she looked toward her friend then looked to the rest of the party. “What about you all, was anyone injured?”

“Wolf did get stabbed by the red wolf-like creatures, but I had a chance to heal him already.” Priestess smiled as she bowed her head toward her friend then began to look around but could not find Wolf anywhere.

Cow Girl looked around and smiled when she saw the sight of Wolf and Snow off in the field nuzzling up against each other while playfully trying to bite each other. Goblin Slayer carefully removed the mask from the figure to see a young man with a clean-shaved face beneath the mask. The others joined in in examining the figure, but other than his strange garb there was no way of identifying the dead man before them.

“What was he doing on the farm? Why did he attack you and Snow?” High Elf Archer was just as confused as the others by this man’s presence.

“I spotted him near the well, he was trying pour something into the water. Just a moment.” Cow Girl rushed inside the house and a few moments returned with a small glass vial in her hands. “This liquid, I assume it was some type of poison.”

Goblin Slayer took the vial from his friend and carefully looked at it, though green like a healing potion, he the liquid had a faint glow about it. He then looked toward the well and then back to the man with a final grunt of displeasure before he stood.

“I don’t like it. The poisoning of the well, these strange men and the monster goblins…I don’t like any of it.”

“Nor should you Milord Goblin Slayer, perhaps it would be best for us to take him and the vial back to the Guild. There someone may be able to tell more about what we are confused about.”

xxxx

While the battles in Frontier Town waged on, the King had gone to Water Town to speak with Sword Maiden concerning the dreams or nightmares he had been having as well as address the recent rumors of an unknown plague. Little could he or Sword Maiden could have known that this day, a great and terrible revelation was about to be dropped upon them.

“My Lord, always a pleasure to see you.” Sword Maiden smiled as she bowed to the King.

The King had been wise to only travel with a small attachment of soldiers, twenty in number, as to avoid drawing any unneeded attention and to ensure protection if they encountered the escaped Highway Man.

“Sword Maiden, I trust you are well?”

“I am. Our town has been doing well, though the guards were forced to apprehend and odd individual in a black cloak. He was evidently trying to poison one of the water sources of the town, we found a vial of poison on his person and couple blades, perhaps another one of the followers of the demon cult.”

“And the man, what did he have to say about the poison?”

“He took his own life before we could get any further information. Other than that one incident, the town has been peaceful, though rumors of odd monsters in the forest have not been sitting well on travelers.”

“I see. The reason for my coming was I needed to seek the advice of a friend. For several nights, I’ve been plagued with a constant dream, no nightmare, of the capital engulfed in flames as my citizens are transformed into monsters as they tear each other apart. Though you, the Hero and I battle against them…there is always a figure in black constantly watching the chaos and laughing.”

“That is quite troublesome, maybe an invitation from the Supreme God to be ready for some great calamity. Perhaps this rumored plague that we have been hearing about may have some connection to it.”

“That notion had crossed my mind as well, but this dream of people becoming monsters, I still…”

Before the King could finish, the door to their chamber was suddenly opened and in rushed one of the acolytes of the temple.

“Forgive my intrusion My Lady, we have an envoy from the elven village. They say they captured a figure who was trying to poison their river.”

The King and Sword Maiden were both surprised to hear this, especially after hearing the Sword Maiden mention a figure trying to poison the water in Water Town. Both figures followed the acolyte to find two high elves who bowed their heads to the two, with them was a figure in black with a strange mask on his face.

“He’s dressed the same as the other man we found My Lady.”

“Dressed the same you say?” Sword Maiden had a visible frown on her face as she thought about what was told to her.

“We found him and another near our village.” One of the high elves mentioned as he withdrew a small vial from his pocket. “They were attempting to pour this into the water, we killed one of the intruders and managed to capture this one. Aside from this and a couple knives, that is all he had on his person.”

The King was very suspicious of the figure and went to remove the man’s mask himself, which the man vehemently argued about. The person in question was a young man in his thirties, nervously looking toward the King and the others; the King looked towards the mask and was surprised to find another vial of the green liquid within the mask.

“ _What the hell is this all about?_ ” The King frowned as he looked toward the nervous man then toward the acolytes. “Use Truth Reveal, I want to know what he’s hiding?”

With Truth Reveal in affect, the acolytes made sure the man was secured in a chair where the King, Sword Maiden and the high elves waited patiently to begin the interrogation.

“This vial, why were you trying to poison the water?”

“The vial…is not poison but the Miracle of Life…my master has decreed that we…share the elixir with everyone.”

“Miracle of Life? Share the Elixir? This doesn’t make any sense.” Sword Maiden was confused by what she was hearing.

“Indeed, tell us about your Master?” The King was stern in his demand of the prisoner.

“My master…the tale that was told to me…before I had the glory of meeting him... was this…” The Faceless Man had a smile on his face as he thought about all the wonderful things he had seen this man create and would have no trouble speaking this part to the others. “He works alone, his hands defiling the bodies of the dead in his thirst for knowledge…and power…he is the Necromancer, a once respected adventurer until fate led him down another path…towards black magic. Now he has been given the secret of life…and has used this knowledge to give life to the lifeless and transform the people of the world into objects of perfection.”

The smile that crossed the man’s face was quite unsettling, the King, the Sword Maiden and the others were visibly nervous as they heard this and were quick to realize that the vials they held were not poison but something that should not be held in the hands of mortals.

“How long before he attacks the people with this vile formula?” Sword Maiden was worried as she heard this tale.

“It’s too late…my brothers have been dispatched to villages all around the countryside…you cannot top him. These villages and your capital will be consumed by a horde of what you would call…nightmare creatures.” The man once again had a hysterical smile on his face as he looked toward the people.

“ _The villages…the capital…the figure in black in my dreams is this Necromancer!_ ” The King growled in frustration as he clenched his fists. “Where is he? Where is your master, this Necromancer!”

“Even I do not know. He came to me…he wanders the countryside to examine and study the beautiful creations he has unleashed. Rejoice, he has come to bless you with…”

The King drew out his sword and cut the man’s throat with a quick swipe of the blade, the man gurgled on his blood briefly before toppling over. The high elves and the others were surprised not only by the king’s actions but by the terrifying though of the villages all around the countryside possibly being attacked by these men and this odd formula that would transform people into monsters.

“I need a messenger bird we must warn the capital!” The King turned his attention back toward Sword Maiden. “Sword Maiden, I would ask that you and a small detachment of your warrior priests accompany me, we need to tend to as many villages near the capital and find this Necromancer!”

“I am at your disposal my Lord.” Sword Maiden bowed her head then as she looked toward the slain man on the floor a sudden thought crossed her mind. “ _Goblin Slayer’s party spoke of a man in a plague mask who silenced the man who had captured him some time ago. I am hopeful that he is also engaged with this unusual task and that our paths will cross once again._ ”

xxxx

It was closer towards dusk when Goblin Slayer and his party approached the Guild hall with the body of the Faceless man in the back of the cart and the two severed heads as well. Cow Girl and Snow had also decided to accompany them as well in hopes of finding what exactly was going on, they’d been left out of much of what had been happening and weren’t about to let that happen again. As they drew near the Guild, the party was surprised to see a massive hole near the entrance of the Guild and many of the familiar adventurers outside.

“Papa!” Half-Dragon Daughter rushed to her father side and was followed by her mother.

The party was shocked to hear that one of the Faceless Men had transformed into a monstrous creature and attacked inside the Guild. Nearby the Guild entrance they were able to see five bodies covered with a burlap trap, the fallen adventurers who tried to fight to creature but failed, and further away was the massive body of what was once a human, the mutated form of the Faceless Man. While Goblin Slayer was investigating the body of the mutated Faceless Man, Spearman and the others had gone to the cart to examine the body of the Faceless Man and the severed heads of the monster goblin and the red wolf-like creature.

“That’s a goblin? What the hell kind of goblin has a head this big?” Spearman was at a loss for the side of the head they brought back.

“Forget the goblin, that I can understand, but what about this thing? I thought this was a bull skull, but you say it was more like a direwolf and could breathe fire?” Female Knight shook her head as she quickly covered up the red skull.

“Are you alright?” Lizard Priest was concerned that both his daughter and love had been endanger while he was away.

“Mama was amazing, she breathed fire to keep the monster away!”

“She exaggerates, it wasn’t anything too special.” Half-Dragon Mother had a slight blush on her face as she looked away, embarrassed by all the attention.

“It is no exaggeration how amazing you are my dear. I am thankful you were here to keep our daughter safe and apologize that I could not have been useful.” Lizard Priest had a slight frown as he took his love’s hand in hers and gently squeezed.

“You have nothing to apologize for, you had your own battle to fight. If anything, our daughter now knows that she has two capable parents to help guide her.”

“I’m glad that you are safe. The idea of this man trying to poison the well on the farm and another here…it is truly terrifying.” Cow Girl placed a hand on Guild Girl’s shoulder to help reassure her.

“I am just thankful we had so many capable adventurers to stop this creature before any further lives were lost.” Guild Girl smiled as she squeezed her friend’s hand.

“Though I’m thankful that the damage was kept to a minimum, the presence of the monsters near the town and these two men at different locations does bring up a big concern.” High Elf Archer frowned as she looked over all the items.

“What’s that?” Priestess was concerned about what could be bothering her comrade.

“How many other villages are being targeted by these men? How many more people are becoming monsters?” Half-Demon Thief frowned as she then took up the vial in her hand and watched the liquid glow within the darkness.

Her questions brought a worried expression to all around, suddenly the rumors of hidden monsters and a mysterious plague suddenly seemed much more troubling than they had earlier that day. Goblin Slayer stood after examining the mutated body, his thoughts of these men poisoning the water and attacking his friend immediately drew parallels to the goblins he hated so much. He walked with purpose toward the others then held out his hand toward Half-Demon Thief.

“The vial.”

“Huh, oh…sure here you go Goblin Slayer.” Half-Demon Thief, though confused, gave him the vial.

Goblin Slayer looked at the vial in his hand then placed it into the plague mask with the other vial. Off to his left he could see bonfire lit to honor the dead who had fallen to protect the town, with an audible grunt he threw the mask into the fire, the vials broke and there was a sudden flare up in the fire before it returned to normal.

“What the hell are you doing Goblin Slayer?” Spearman was surprised by the actions of his colleague.

“We’re heading out in the morning, to hunt these men down before they destroy any other villages.”

Goblin Slayer’s tone caught everyone by surprise, but they all grasped what he was talking about and knew he was right, various adventurers knew they would be traveling out while others decided that they too would travel on this quest, no matter how small they would help in any capacity, at that moment their goal was to maintain the peace of the countryside.

“Gather what you need. It is sure to be a long journey.” Goblin Slayer looked up toward the twilight sky with a visible glow coming from his left eye within his helmet.


	68. Chapter 68

“I don’t suppose there is any way I can convince you not to go?”

Within the farm house, Cow Girl, her Uncle and Goblin Slayer were finishing their breakfast though the atmosphere was far from cheerful.

“Uncle, I’ve already been over it with him and the others. Even if I can help lighten the burden with the small things like driving the wagon or preparing meals, I am going to accompany them.” Cow Girl dipped her bread into her stew before taking another bite a serious look on her face. “I’ll make arrangements in town before I leave to make sure you get some extra hands out here to help.”

“I’m not worried about having to do all the work by myself, I’m worried about losing my daugh…my…”

“You’re worried about losing your daughter.” Cow Girl reached over the table and squeezed her Uncle’s hand. “You’ve been looking over me for more than ten years. Even though I say Uncle, I do see you as my second father.”

Her Uncle was surprised by this comment as he was unsure of how to respond yet the smile on her face was enough for him.

“And it is because of that, that I ask you trust me. I’ve nearly lost this guy so many times in such a short time, and now with a potential battle that could be far worse than the threat of the demon lord…I can’t just sit by this time and wait.”

“It will be dangerous…not like the time of the Goblin Lord.” Goblin Slayer wanted his friend to stay here on the farm and avoid direct battle. “It would be best if…”

“I know it will not be an easy journey, nor do I plan to force myself on the front lines with you. Back when the village was destroyed, I thought I had lost you and then you came back. Even if you have changed in your demeanor or speech, you’re still the same person I knew all those years ago.” Cow Girl had a warm smile and her face as she reached over to place her hand on his. “You’re not going to leave me behind this time.”

Goblin Slayer was at a loss, he stared back at his friend, not since her refusal to leave had he seen her act in such a defiant manner.

“Besides, when Snow has her littler, I’ll want you and Wolf to be there to see the new additions.”

“You’ve…gotten much stronger.” Goblin Slayer nodded his head as he finished his food and stood. “We’ll need to leave soon.”

“I’ve got my supplies loaded in the wagon, just the essentials.” Cow Girl smiled as she too stood and took their bowls towards the sink in the kitchen. “I’m going to check on Snow and Wolf outside.”

Once Cow Girl had left, her Uncle stopped Goblin Slayer from leaving as he held out his hand.

“Just a moment. I know that you and I have not always seen everything eye to eye, but I have come to respect you after your defense of this farm.” Uncle frowned as he breathed out a heavy sigh before looking Goblin Slayer in the face. “She is all that I have left so…keep her safe. Make sure that not only she comes back…but you as well. She’d be so upset if something happened to you.”

“I’ll do my best sir.”

Goblin Slayer gave a final nod before exiting the kitchen to follow his friend outside and check on the dire wolves. Uncle lingered behind in the kitchen for a few moments before exiting as well to say his final goodbyes.

“Why couldn’t she have fallen for someone else? Someone more peaceful.”

xxxx

“Okay. Let’s get the rest of the supplies loaded up on the wagons.” Spearman grunted as he loaded up a crate onto one of the wagons.  
  
“Yes sir.” Rookie Warrior went about loading up a crate on the nearby wagon, then went to load another.

Outside the still damaged Guild were three wagons with a horse attached to the front. Within the wagons were a variety of supplies from weapons to potions, all donated by the town to ensure the adventurers would be able to check the neighboring villages by doing so they would ensure the protection of Frontier Town. After working well together over the last few months, Spearman, Heavy Warrior, Rookie warrior and their party members agreed they would also take up the challenge of investigating the

“We’ll need to be careful with this one, the alchemist provided quite a few vials of acid for me to use.” Half-Demon Thief commented as she carefully packed the crate with straw to keep the glass from rattling around.

“Couldn’t you have chosen another type of weapon, I’d even take Orcbolg’s tear gas or pepper bomb, whatever he calls it.”

“Oh I have those too, Goblin Slayer was nice enough to teach me how to create them.”

“I swear, Orcbolg has been teaching you all the worst type of habits.”

“I don’t know Long-Ears, though his methods can be a bit crude at times, Beardcutter has used these various techniques to help us out of many dire situations.”

While the High Elf Archer and Dwarf Shaman continued their friendly bickering, Lizard Priest and his family conversed while they also helped in loading up the supplies.

“You’re not mad that we’re coming with you are you papa?”

“Not mad, surprised, but never mad. I am very fortunate to have your company on this difficult journey ahead of us.” Lizard Priest smiled as he reached down pat his daughter’s head after putting the supplies into the wagon.

“This quest you’re going to take maybe be quite dangerous, so I intend to make sure that you come back safely.” Half-Dragon Mother at first had a slight frown on her face then smiled as she stared up at her love. “These few months with you have been the most enjoyable for me and my daughter, and we intend to make sure they remain that way.”

“Who am I to argue with the wisdom of the mighty dragon.”

“That’s not the only reason though for our coming with you.” Half-Dragon Mother had a slight smile on her face as she looked toward her daughter. “She already has my permission but she still needs yours.”

“My permission?”

“Well you won’t know unless you ask your papa.” Half-Dragon Mother smiled as gentled patted her daughter’s back.

“I…you and mama told me I had to become stronger, so I want to learn from both you and mama, then I will become an adventurer.” Half-Dragon Daughter though nervous looked up to her father with a stern look on her face.

“You wish to learn from me?” Lizard Priest though surprised had a large smile on his face. “It would be an honor to be a teacher to a future powerful dragon.”

Half-Dragon Daughter could not contain her excitement when she and her parents heard laughter coming from within the first wagon, only to see Dwarf Shaman and High Elf Archer finishing the loading of the supplies.

“If you like, your grandpa here will be more than happy to teach you some useful magic as well.”

“Ha! The only thing she’ll learn from you is how to get fat. Stick with this elf and I’ll teach you the skill of an archer.”

“Bah, what can an anvil teach this young girl?”

While the two continued their bickering much to the laughter Lizard Priest and the others, Guild Girl spoke with her Manager and Inspector.

“Are you sure you all will be okay without me here to help?” Guild Girl had a bit of a frown as she looked back toward the Guild already under repair.

“We will have things well in hand here, repair work is already underway and we have plenty of fine adventurers to ensure no further attempt are made by those Faceless Men.” Inspector had a light smile on her face as she watched the wagons being loaded.

“I’m more worried about you, I don’t think it’s wise for you to accompany them on this journey.” Her Manager had frowned as he recalled the lost lives in yesterday’s attack.

“I shall be traveling with very best and bravest adventurers we are fortunate enough to have so I’m not worried. I must also make sure to keep an accurate record of the brave deeds of our adventurers, even if this isn’t an official quest, I’m sure that many if not all of them will be eligible for promotion once this adventure is over.”

“Not to mention you’d get some more time to spend with your favorite adventurer.” Inspector had a wily smile cross her face.

“I…I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Guild Girl was quick to turn her head away as a blush crossed her face.

Soon enough, Goblin Slayer, Cow Girl, Snow and Wolf could be seen approaching the guild. Guild Girl had gone to speak with the Guild Manager about securing aid for the farm and made sure to offer a bag of gold given to her by Goblin Slayer, meanwhile Goblin Slayer had gone to speak with the other silver adventurers.

“Never expected you to be the one to suggest this quest Goblin Slayer.” Spearman had a smirk on his face as he rested his spear against his right shoulder. “Though if I know you it’s more about the monster goblins they had employed right?”

“That is one reason, the other is the tactics they use, the destruction they bring is like that of a goblin.” Goblin Slayer found himself clenching his fist as he recalled the destruction of his village then looked towards his comrades. “If we were to ignore this threat, somewhere out there a nameless village, which no one will remember, that may be lost. I won’t allow it.”

There was a pause from the others but soon enough there was a smile on each of their faces, when Female Knight drew her sword and placed it in the center of the group.

“Then let us see this quest through there is much I want to do when this battle is over.” Female Knight smirked as she looked over toward Heavy Warrior.

“You sure do try hard to make me blush.” Heavy Warrior drew out his sword and placed it near hers. “For those we cherish.”

“For the peace of this town.” Spearman smiled as he added his spear.

“And for peace…of the country.” Witch smiled as she placed her staff near Spearman’s spear.

“For the fine feast we’ll have when this battle is over.” Dwarf Shaman snicked as he took out his hand ax and added it the groups.

“For the grand adventure ahead of us!” High Elf Archer could not help but smile brilliantly as she added her bow to the group.

“For friends and family.” Lizard Priest placed his swordclaw amongst the others.

Goblin Slayer was silent from a moment then drew out his sword and added to the others.

“To the death of the one controlling them.”

“Not the most optimistic declaration but with the combined might, not even the demon lord can stop us.” High Elf Archer smiled once again as her ears flapped in her happiness.

Those around them could not help but smile and share in their confidence, this group was ready to embark on this most difficult of quests.

xxxx

“To hell with you, vile monster!”

Hero gave a yell as he sword cur through the body of the three-headed and three-armed monster with her holy sword; she and her party had encountered the monstrous creature and two more like it attacking Mountain Pass. Earlier in the day, they had noticed what looked like two men in blacks observing the town from the alleyways, eventually they caught them attempting to add some odd green liquid into one of the nearby wells. Fortunately, Hero’s firebolt destroyed the man’s hand and vial before he had a chance to pour the contents down. The two men turned to see the trio of women and not taking any chances quickly broke the vials within their mask and after downing the vile liquid began to transform, but then three of the Abominations broke through one of the wooden walls protecting the town. People and adventurers were immediately shaken by the sight of the monsters and quickly went to work attacking the creatures.

One of the Faceless Men body seemed to warp, his hands becoming claws, curved horns growing from atop his head, the flesh on its back peeling from its body taking on the appearance of wings and what appeared to be stone now covering its body. The other man also transformed as the fingers on his hands fused into one massive claw and then two more similar claws shot out from its sides, the lower half of his body warped into what could only be described as a giant abdomen like that of a spider.

The battle was long as the monsters were quite durable much like the hellhounds they had to face while on the way to Frontier Town some time ago. The creatures that had once been human the Spider and Gargoyle, that was the best way to describe what, had much more intelligence as they mocked the adventurers but finally, they had been slain.

“What sorcery was that? Those men transformed into monsters.” Sword Saint sheathed her sword and wiped the sweat from her brow.

“Most unusual. This one has stone covering its body but it’s flesh and blood underneath.” Sage bent down to inspect the gargoyle-like body of the once human.

“What about this one, it can produce web like a spider, it almost resembles an Arachne but…far uglier.” Hero too examined the other monstrous body near her. “Their hides are very durable, like those monsters we had to fight in the astral plane or even in hell.”

Hero then thought back to the other monsters and remembered the other adventurers who rushed out to aid them. With the five creatures attacking at once three of the town’s guards were killed right away by the Abominations and eight more of the lower level adventurers had been lost as well. All of this was strange to the three young women, these men trying to pour something into the well, transforming into monsters themselves and these odd flesh golems crashing through the walls.

“These men were controlling the flesh golems, they meant to attack this town but what was that liquid they were about to add to water?” Hero frowned as she looked over the dead monsters then back to the fallen people around them.

“Something terrible has befallen the land.” Sage had a stern expression on her face as she looked toward her friends.

Soon enough the girls could hear the fluttering of wings over head and saw a white dove flying towards the guild office. Even in the middle of the chaos the guild manager was quick to look over the message attached to the dove’s leg, the expression on his face went form concern to shock. Hero and her party rushed over to look over the message and just like the guild manager were shocked by what they were reading.

“Necromancer…men in black robes…poisoning the wells…targeting the villages and the capital.” Hero eyes widened with every sentence she read.

“Then the King is calling for aid, we have to get to the capital!” Sword Saint was angry that this man was trying to destroy the country with this poison.

“But what of the villages, if we push straight through to the capital many lives will be lost.” Sage was worried about the loss of life as what they had seen with just a couple of the monsters her in Mountain Pass.

“Our duty is to the world…” Hero tightened her grip around her sword then recalled how Goblin Slayer would continue his work to save those villages in need and smiled. “…but the people of the villages are part of that world. We’ll move through as many villages as possible to save the people as we make our way to the capital.”

Sage and Sword Saint smiled as they stood ready to follow their leader on this battle to save the countryside from the threat of the Necromancer, in the morning their journey would begin.

xxxx

That same evening, another dove was finally reaching the end of its journey, from Water Town it had been flying for such a long time but now the Capital was in sight. It would reach the castle where the guards would receive the message and the capital would go on the defense and prepare for the worst…at least that’s what the King had hoped. From atop one of the rooftops, a Faceless Man stood ready with bow and arrow and took aim for the bird in the sky, then with a small chuckle released the arrow. The arrow pierced through the dove’s body and it plummeted to the ground hitting the street with a light thud, the archer chuckled once again as he made his way towards the edge of the rooftop and looked down below. From the shadows emerged a massive figure with appeared be a longcoat made up several pieces of leather and beside him were several men in black robes.

“Poor little bird, can’t seem to fly anymore.” Highway Man snicked as he looked at the bloodstained body of the bird. “Check the foot.”

One of the Faceless Men nodded and went to check the dead bird’s leg and retrieved the message that had been sent out by the king. The Faceless Man crumpled the message then stuffed the remains within his cloak before looking towards the Highway Man and nodding his head.

“Too bad. Guess you won’t be warning any one now.” The Highway Snicked once again as he picked up the carcass of the bird before tossing it into the nearby waterway. “Time to feed the fishes.”

There was a small torrent of bubbles that moved towards the floating body of the bird when suddenly a yellowish tentacle shot out of the water snatching at the body of the bird before quickly dragging in beneath the surface.

“Is it time for us to release the elixir here within the Capital?” One of the Faceless Men looked toward the Highway man.

“Not yet, the Necromancer will give us a sign when we contaminate all the water in the Capital. In the meantime, continue to spread the fear. Enhance a few people here and there to show them what wonders await them; I shall continue to stalk the streets and feed upon those foolish enough to stay outside; finally have the Yeti move towards another district and prepare to freeze it. When the time comes this city, with more than 500,00 people, will soon devolve into hell on Earth.”

xxxx

The young boy would spend his time practicing with his sword trying to imitate the adventurer who had come to save their village. Off to the side he could see his sister playing with her doll while his mother was in the house making dinner. More than half a year ago he, his sister and some of the other children had been captured by demons but a brave adventurer and his party came to their rescue along with a massive black direwolf.

“When I get bigger I’m going to become an adventurer just like him and then I’ll find my own…”

The young boy paused as his ears above his head began to twitch, he could hear the sound of horse feet clopping and what sounded like the wheels of a wagon rolling along hitting the small rocks as the wagon moved along. He and his sister both heard the noise and rushed toward the entrance of the village and took in the scent, a smile crossed their faces as they picked up on a familiar scent amongst all the new ones. Soon enough, their mother and the other dog-faced padfoots had also rushed towards the entrance with wide eyes to see three horse drawn wagons approaching their village and along the side they saw a man in dirty leather armor with a large black direwolf walking with a bold stride.

“Wolf!” Both Padfoot Son and Daughter were over joyed to see the large direwolf once again.

They and the other kids rushed forward to go and pet Wolf who was as calm as ever around the young kids but to their surprise they now saw a large white direwolf nearby as well. Snow, falling back on her motherly instincts, was quick to move up toward the children and nuzzled up against the young children who in turn happily went to pet the two wolves. The wagons were brought to a halt outside the village where the rest of the passengers disembarked and met with the dog-faced padfoots.

“It is a pleasure to see you all again.” Padfoot Mother took hold of Goblin Slayer hand and gently squeezed as a smile crossed her face. “We still owe you and your party much for all you did when you were last here.”

“I see.”

“Leave it to Orcbolg to be the one with the least amount to say. What he means is we’re happy to see you and the little ones are doing well.”

Cow Girl and Guild Girl were quite happy to finally meet the padfoot village where Goblin Slayer and his party had saved them from the threat of demons. The other adventurers were also mobbed by the padfoot villagers who were surprised to see so many new faces in their village. Half-Demon Thief was a bit apprehensive as she heard talk of demons attempting to use the villagers for some sort of ritual and felt it best to hide herself when the two young children approached her.

“Hello.” Padfoot Daughter had a bright smile as she looked toward the young woman. “You have very pretty eyes.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“We didn’t get to see you the last time, are you a new adventurer?” Padfoot Son was also curious about this woman with the knives around her person. “Are you also an adventurer? Are you a dark elf?”

“Uh…no I…I’m part demon.” Half-Demon Thief finally admitted though it was with a heavy heart.

There was an immediate gasp from many of the padfoot villagers upon hearing this and there were some parents who pulled their children close to them as all eyes fell upon Half-Demon Thief, her party and colleagues were quick to show concern as they worried she would be attacked. Half-Demon Thief too frowned as she though perhaps it might be best if she were to remain with the wagons away from the villagers when a dispassionate voice spoke out.

“She is a member of my party.”

Goblin Slayer turned toward Half-Demon Thief who was surprised to hear him speak up on her behalf then felt something brush up against her and turning to either side was Wolf and Snow rubbing up against her as they could sense her concern.

“ _At least I have my party and friends._ ” Half-Demon Thief smiled then felt something take hold of her hand and looked down to see Padfoot Daughter smiling back at her.

“I’m surprised to see a beautiful lady like you is a demon. You’re much nicer than the ones who came to the village.” Padfoot Daughter smiled as she pulled on the young woman’s hand and brought her into the village.

“Thank you, you’re very kind.” Half-Demon Thief smiled then looked to the side to see the young boy take her other hand.

“So you’re an adventurer too? Are you a scout or some kind of knife fighter?” Padfoot Son had a big smile as he was curious about her weapons and appearance.

“I’m actually a trained thief and assassin.”

“Assassin! That’s so cool! Is that why you wear such dark clothing? Can you use special abilities to help you sneak up on people?” Padfoot Son was staring at the young woman with bright eyes curious about so many things.

“Uh well…I can use Stealth and…”

Any initial hesitation was quickly gone as some of the other children were also eager to speak with the other adventurers. They were intrigued by how massive Heavy Warrior was as some mistook him for a giant while other marveled at the beauty of Female Knight and Witch, some of the mothers joking suggest they marry their sons.

“It is quite a welcome change to see so many new faces in the village. Ever since you and your party came to aid us it has been quite a peaceful existence.” Padfoot Elder chuckled as he spoke with Goblin Slayer but was quick to sense something important in the air. “I doubt though paying us a friendly visit was the only reason for you all being here?”

“There are those looking to poison wells and we are here to search for them.”

There was a look of shock on the faces of the adults; people looking to poison the wells and possibly her in the village, could they be padfoots?

“Milord Goblin Slayer is quite correct in the threat, but there is much we must clarify.”

Padfoot Elder quickly led the adventurers toward the meeting hall in the center of the village, the young warriors charged with defense of the village also accompanied them while the rest of the villagers went about finishing up their chores and preparing a meal for their guests. Cow Girl, Guild Girl, and Half Dragon Mother chose to remain outside the hall to speak with the others and offer what assistance they could while Half Dragon Daughter, Snow and Wolf played with the children.

“There are reports coming in of some mysterious plague sweeping the land. A strange miasma that is killing some while raising monster from the depths of hell itself. Are these people who you seek responsible somehow related to these odd stories?” Padfoot Elder had a worried look on his as he remembered hearing strange tales from the few travelers who had passed through more than two weeks ago.

“Indeed, only this plague is not the work of a strange miasma but men poisoning the water with a strange liquid.” Lizard Priest then thought back to the monsters they had unleashed in the forest near the village. “These monsters may appear to be from the depths of hell as you described, but they in fact are under the control of a man and his subordinates…the Necromancer.”

“This poison, they refer to it as the Elixir of Life, once someone drinks it, they turn into monsters themselves. Creature with great strength and durability.” Heavy Warrior recalled as the man transformed into a beast before their eyes. “The men were wearing black cloaks and white plague masks on their faces and tried to contaminate the water in our own Frontier Town.”

“Men in black cloaks and white masks you say, we have not seen anyone matching that description near the village. Our warriors still maintain a guard around the village in case there is any danger that may come to threaten us. Still, I thank you for coming here to check that things are well.” Padfoot Elder smiled and nodded his head in appreciation. “I would invite you all to stay with us tonight to rest yourselves before you depart.”

“It would be quite rude of us to turn down such an invitation.” Dwarf Shaman chuckled as he stroked his beard.

“You just want food and drink.” High Elf Archer was quick to tease her comrade.

“It will also give us an opportunity to look over the village to make sure there are no signs of these Faceless Men.” Heavy Warrior added as well while he scratched the bottom of his chin.

That evening there was a small celebration to welcome back Goblin Slayer and his comrades, the padfoots marveled at the sight of Half Dragon Mother breathing fire for them into the night sky, Half Dragon Daughter would fly around the sky and managed to briefly pick up Padfoot Daughter and Son a couple feet off the ground before setting them back down. Even the other adventurers got into the act as Heavy Warrior supervised the kids how tried to lift up his claymore, Half-Demon Thief showed off her skills with her daggers as she took aim at targets the children had painted for her on one of the nearby wooden posts.

While this was going on Goblin Slayer was walking around the outside of the walls with Spearman and Wolf to accompany him. Wolf paused as his ears twitched, he carefully went about smelling the area and began to growl as a familiar scent was picked up. Goblin Slayer and Spearman stopped as they looked toward Wolf then turned their attention back toward the forest where he was looking.

“What do you think Goblin Slayer? Is this our Faceless Men or their monsters?”

“Not sure. Let’s inform the others.”

From within the woods two of the Faceless Men watched as the two adventurers walked back into the village accompanied by the large wolf. Though they had not expected to see adventurers in this particular village but were more than prepared for this with the creations their master had given them. They would wait for the guard presence to settle down before they would bless this village with the Miracle of Life. It was nearly midnight when they finally left the forest, the two of them moved through the darkness but were forced to stop as an arrow struck the ground before them. The men looked ahead and their they saw the force waiting for them. Atop the rooftop of the closest house were High Elf Archer with bow and arrow ready, Half-Demon Thief with a dagger in her left hand and one of her poison-tipped throwing knives in her right hand and Scout Boy with a short sword at his side and a bow and arrow in hand like the high elf. Standing by the entrance was Priestess, Druid Girl, Dwarf Shaman, Apprentice Cleric and Witch ready to offer support with their magic abilities from afar. In front of them were the frontline warriors Female Knight, Heavy Warrior, Spearman, Half-Elf Light Warrior, Rookie Warrior, Fighter, Lizard Priest and Goblin Slayer at his side was Wolf and Snow.

“What…why are there so many adventurers here?” One of the Faceless men was at a loss for the sheer number of adversaries to battle.

“If you do not wish to die, surrender now and tell us where your master is!” High Elf Archer anxiously waited to release her arrow.

“You fools! How dare you besmirch the name of our Master! We are here to deliver upon this village the Miracle of Life and you would be so heartless as to stand in our way.” The other Faceless Man clenched his fists, deeply angered these people would stand in his way.

“Miracle of Life my ass! You are not about to dump that poison down these fine people’s wells!” Spearman found he could stomach the lies these men were spewing. “I don’t know what’s more pathetic the lies you shout or the fact that you’ve been deceived into believing them.”

“Those of small intellect can comprehend our Master’s genius. It seems that the only option left for us is to destroy this village rather share our wonderful gift with them.” The first Faceless Man brought a hand up to his mask and broke the vial within before tilting his head back to drink the contents.

“Come forth our beautiful creations!” The second Faceless Man gave a quick shout to summon the beast in the forest before he too drank his own elixir.

The adventurers watched as the men began to change, their bodies warp into monstrous forms but from the forest came forth three of the Hellhounds and two of the Abominations. For those who had not seen the transformation, it was quite a shock to see these humans become such monsters and, in their eyes, they could still see recognition and hate for the adventurers.

“These people were kind enough to give us quite the meal, not a single one of these monsters is going to enter this village.” Heavy Warrior tightened his grip on his claymore as he looked over the approaching monsters.

“Agreed.” The response came from the adventurers who all stood ready to defend this village.

“Let’s go!” Goblin Slayer rushed forward with sword and mace drawn with Wolf and Snow running along either side of him.


	69. Chapter 69

Those who could not fight were told to remain with the meeting hall, staying in their own homes with an unknown number of monsters would not be the best course of actions, the warriors formed a circle perimeter around the meeting hall with their wooden spears at the ready. Those within and without could hear the bellows of the monsters outside as well as the battle cries of the adventurers who fought to protect them. This village was well over a hundred people

“It must be the will of the gods that they came here this night.” The village elder did his best to keep the people calm though he himself was also nervous. “These adventurers aided us during our plight with the demons, they will be victorious in this battle as well.”

His words did help many calm down as the fighting outside continued, towards the back was Padfoot Mother with her children along with Cow Girl and the others. The two children looked towards the ceiling as they felt the ground shake and the roars of the monsters outside, even though they knew there was no way to see the fight at the moment.

“Do you think Wolf and the others are going to be okay?” Padfoot Daughter looked toward her brother with a frown on her face.

“They’ll beat these monsters and this time there are more adventurers to help us.” Padfoot Son was just as eager as before in his declaration that the adventurers would win.

“He’s right.”

The two young kids turned to see Half-Dragon Daughter smiling at them while nodding her head at Padfoot Son’s assessment of her family.

“My Papa, Grandpa, Big Brother and Big Sisters are out there, they’ll beat these monsters, isn’t that right Mama.” Half-Dragon Daughter looked toward her mother for confirmation, though part of her was still worried.

“You have nothing to fear, your father and the others will win.”

Guild Girl and Cow Girl too were smiling but a quick glance toward the doorway made them feel apprehensive, at this point all they could do hope for the best and help keep the people in the meeting hall calm.

xxxx

“Go for the main head!” Half-Demon Thief gave a quick yell as she launched two of her poisoned knives at one of the Abominations.

Spearman had a smile on his face as he readied to finish the three-armed and three-headed monster though that appearance had since changed during the fight. Witch had used Magic Missile to blow away the two smaller arms on the right side of the body while Half-Demon Thief used a vial of acid to burn through the monster’s clawed arm on the left side. In addition to the damage done to the arms, Half-Demon Thief’s knives had struck two of the smaller human heads and they died instantly, the beast stumbled as the poison took its course.

“Not much of a threat now are you, you ugly son of a bitch?” Spearman grunted as he thrust his spear forward.

The blade of his weapon pieced through the final head, with a final grunt he pulled his blade out and quickly took a couple steps back as the beast fell forward.

“That’s one down.” Spearman chuckled as he gave the body a swift kick along the side.

The Hellhound roared before spewing fire in random directions unable to see because of the arrows that had pieces its eyes. The Hellhound could hear and smell the humans and prepared to charge forward but stumbled as Wolf and Snow took hold of its hind legs and pulled backward violently.

“A fine job indeed, now allow me to deliver the final blow.”

Lizard Priest jumped forward, actually leaping onto the creatures back pushing it tot eh ground as he plunged his swordclaw into the monster’s throat. The monster roared once again, spewing forth fire as it struggled to remove Lizard Priest from its body, but with his free hand he tightly held onto one of the beast’s horns. The blood ran from its wound and mouth as it continued its futile struggles until it finally toppled over onto its side.

“Another victory, thank you my friends.” Lizard Priest smiled as he went about petting the two direwolves atop their heads then turned his attention towards the village. “And thank you as well Lady Ranger.”

“Your wife and my little sister would never forgive me if something were to happen to you.”

Half-Elf Light Warrior and Rookie Warrior struck at the Abomination when given the chance and would dodge or roll to the side to avoid its wide swipes. Up above Scout Boy let loose arrow after arrow as they pierced the monster’s flesh and managed to kill one of the heads.

“Go for one of the heads, I’ll go for the legs.” Rookie Warrior rushed in cut deeply into the monster’s left leg.

The monster bellowed as it dropped to one knee and Half-Elf Light Warrior charged in ready to kill another one of the heads only for the beast to strike at him with one of its arms. There was a deep scratch across his armor, but aside from having the wind knocked out of him, he would be fine. The monster slowly got back to its leg and staggered toward the downed warrior ready to kill him with its mighty claw when a heavy rock flew forward colliding with one of its faces making it pause momentarily. Half-Elf Light Warrior was surprised by the sudden rock being thrown and a quick glance back and he could see the smiling face of Druid Girl with sling in hand.

“Hurry, back on your feet!”

“Thank you.” Half-Elf Light Warrior quickly scrambled away from the monster and got back to his feet.

While the beast was distracted, Rookie Warrior charged in once again and with all his might once again struck at the injured leg and managed to completely cut through it. The beast once again dropped to the ground, with a horrendous growl it looked ahead and clawed toward Half-Elf Light Warrior. Three more arrows flew from above thanks to Scout Boy and managed to kill another head on the body.

“Then the last head is mine!” Half-Elf Light Warrior yelled as he rushed in and rammed his sword into the final creature’s head.

The Abomination let out one roar before finally slumping to the ground, Half-Elf Light Warrior grunted as he struggled to remove his sword, having to place his boot on the creature head to give him leverage to pull the blade free.

“Damn you.”

Fighter jumped onto the back of one of the Hellhound and with her spiked gauntlets, repeatedly slammed her fist into the side of the monster’s head. Unfortunately this only seemed to enrage the creature who roared and shook it body in an attempt to get the human off its back.

“Stand clear.” Dwarf Shaman threw out the clay dust from his hand into the air as he prepared his chant. “Come out you gnomes it’s time to work, now don’t you dare your duty shirk – a bit of dust may cause no shock, but a thousand make a lovely rock…Stone Blast.”

Fighter’s eyes were wide as she watched the bits of dust grow in size and she quickly leapt off the creatures back and rolled away in time before the rocks pelted the monster. The Hellhound growled, blood running from the various wound along its body before roaring as it charged toward Dwarf Shaman. Dwarf Shaman was quite surprised by this but steadied himself as he drew out his hand ax.

“Bring your pretty face to my ax you…”

“Protection!”

The creature suddenly collided with the invisible barrier, the sound of bone crunching and blood spilling against the barrier from the impact. Dwarf Shaman was surprised by this but a quick glance made him smile as he saw Priestess nearby with arms held out as she made her petition to the Earth Mother. The Hellhound growled as it clawed at the barrier and spewed forth flames from its mouth in an attempt to get to the adventurers.

“Quickly move to the side! Lord of judgement, sword-prince, scale-bearer, display here your power…Holy Smite!”

Dwarf Shaman quickly jumped aside as Apprentice Cleric held out her sword and a bolt of lightning short forward passing through the barrier and striking the Hellhound. The beast let out a cry of pain before it toppled over, smoke traveling off its motionless body.

“Hey now, what’s the big idea?” Dwarf Shaman had a visible frown upon his face as he looked toward Apprentice Cleric.

“I gave you the same amount of warning that you gave my comrade.” Apprentice Cleric smirked as she looked over toward her friend who had a smile on her face.

“Oh come on, have a heart for an old man.” Dwarf Shaman chuckled as he picked himself up and dusted his body off. “Oh well, we got the monster beat, so…nice work their lass.”

Priestess and the other girls gave a brief chuckle then turned their attention towards the others to see them continue their own fights. Heavy Warrior, Female Knight and Goblin Slayer were contending with the two transformed Faceless Men, off to the side was the towering figure of the Lich Queen swinging her sword towards the frozen body of the final Hellhound. Goblin Slayer battled with a creature that resembled the Brute but lacked the green skin now blood red from the skin being stretched over the bulging muscle while Heavy Warrior and Female Knight battled a creature that appeared to be a monstrously large gargoyle.

“Foolish flesh creatures, how dare you slay these wonderful creatures.”

“They can be and will be replaced with the denizens of this village, in the end your struggle will prove futile.”

“And you expect us to just give up because you say so? Not Likely.” Female Knight had a smirk on her face as she looked back toward the monster.

“You two freaks are not going to set foot in the village.” Heavy Warrior tightened his grip on his sword as he stood beside his love.

“How dare you stop are master’s glorious…”

Before the Brutish Faceless Man could finish, a vial was thrown against his face before Goblin Slayer hurled his torch toward the body. The moment the fire hit the body the flames engulfed any part of the body covered in the liquid as the Faceless Man roared as it stumbled around. All eyes fell back to Goblin Slayer who pulled his sword out of the ground where he had placed it to use his vial of gasoline as he stood ready with both weapons in hand.

“You talk too much.”

Goblin Slayer charged forward and swung his sword in right hand deeply cutting into the monster’s face then followed up with his mace striking the creature’s jaw while still staggering from the sword cut and flames. Heavy Warrior and Female Knight smiled as they watched Goblin Slayer not even wait for these creatures to finish their sentence before they went on the offensive. The first swing from Heavy Warrior’s claymore struck the gargoyle’s arm and it truly was like hitting stone as chucks of it flaked off from the blow, but there was also blood running from the wound.

“I see, you’re not invincible then.” Heavy Warrior smirked as he prepared to strike again.

“Damn you.”

The gargoyle attempted to attack Heavy Warrior only for another sword strike against his other arm, he turned glaring at the one who attacked him only to have a shield smashed into his face.

“Don’t forget that there is more than one opponent for you to contend with!”

Goblin Slayer once again went on the offensive striking at the creature’s body who in turned growled and attempted to smash the adventurer under his mighty fists. Goblin Slayer effortlessly moved back and in turn smashed his mace against the fist as the sound of bone cracking could be heard as well as blood flying. The Brutish Faceless Man once again growled in anger when it stopped as a cold sensation could be felt coming from his side, he turned to see a figure as tall as him shroud in black with a skeletal face glaring at him.

“I won’t allow you to hurt Beloved.” The voice was cold as ice but carried such malice that even the Faceless Man was momentarily frozen with fear.

“ _I have the Elixir in my system, I am far superior to how I was and yet…what is this sense of fear, like I’m staring in to the face of death itself._ ”

The Lich Queen raised the sword in her right hand and brought it down in a sweeping motion, the blade deeply cutting into the left arm. The Faceless Man could see the blade but was too late to react when the Lich Queen raised her second blade and struck at the back of her first blade. Her second blade acted like a hammer striking a nail as the force of her second strike pushed the first blade further until the left arm was complete severed.

“This will be the last bit of magic I can use Beloved, finish him quickly.”

The Lich Queen’s physical form dissolved into a plume of black smoke before returning toward Goblin Slayer’s blade. The Faceless Man bellowed in anger and pain as blood flowed freely from his stump of an arm, but this distraction was all that was needed for Goblin Slayer to secure his victory. Goblin Slayer rushed in and with mace in left hand swung with all his might striking the center of the Faceless Man’s throat. The Faceless Man gasped as he struggled to catch his breath before he dropped to his knees clutching at his throat with his right hand. He looked ahead with his one remaining good eye only to see Goblin Slayer rush in and ram his blade through that eye and pushing with all his might to pierce the brain. The Faceless Man gasped only finally time then his arm went limp and dangled by his side, with a final grunt Goblin Slayer withdrew his blade and quickly moved back as the giant body toppled to the ground with a heavy thud.

“That’s one for me.”

The Gargoyle Faceless Man had taken to the sky with its massive wings to avoid any further damage from the two armored warriors.

“You beasts are much easier to deal with out in the open than in a confined space. You’re not gonna catch us by surprise this time.” Heavy Warrior chuckled as he could see the frightened look on the monster’s face.

The Gargoyle quickly glanced down at the battlefield to see that he was now the only one left, the Hellhounds, the Abominations and his brother had all been dealt with. There was no way he could defeat these warriors by himself all he could do now was gamble on an attack against the village. The Gargoyle could see the warrior padfoots protecting the largest building in the center of the village, if he could get in their and slay as many of these nonbelievers as possible, he could still serve his master’s will.

“For the Miracle of Life!”

The gargoyle screeched as he made a mad dive for the meeting hall, the adventurers looked up toward the sky but there was little they could do while it was so high up.

“ _Damn it, he’s too far away from me to use Slow._ ” Spearman tightened his grip around his spear as he watched the creature swoop in.

“ _I can hit it, but my arrows won’t be able to pierce it’s hide…what can we do?_ ” High Elf Archer found her gritting her teeth as she watched the creature draw closer.

“Here!”

She turned to the side to see Half-Demon Thief throw a vial towards her, High Elf archer carefully caught the vial and saw a clear liquid within.

“ _Acid, but what do you…oh I got it!_ ” High Elf Archer quickly took the arrow in hand and forced the tip into the cork stopper before once again taking aim at the monster. “Let’s see you avoid this.”

High Elf Archer released her arrow and watched it speed away, the arrow itself flew past the creature’s face, but she wasn’t aiming for the face of the monster. The glass vial impacted near the left wing of the gargoyle and immediately began to take effect; he screeched as the acid ate through the rock hide and into his flesh until the wing completely broke off. The gargoyle plummeted to the ground trying desperately to keep his body upward but it was a futile effort, his body collided with the ground, the rock hide was completely cracked, several large pieces flying off the body he spewed out a small amount of blood from his mouth.

“ _Im,impossible…must…deliver the miracle…_ ” He struggled to claw his way over toward the village but did not get very far.

The Gargoyle screeched once again, the cause of which was Heavy Warrior and Female Knight ramming their blade through his legs pinning him to the ground. The Gargoyle looked upward to see the various adventurers looking down at him, a stern look on their faces.

“Enough, you’ve lost. This village will not be destroyed by your horrid creations.” Female Knight glared down at the pathetic looking monster. “Before you die, do the final decent thing and tell us where to find your master and how many villages are also being targeted.”

The Gargoyle nervously looked around, he would not do anything to betray his master and now there was no way for him to kill any of these adventurers or the villagers, for him there was only one choice left.

“You’ll never stop my master…the people of this land shall be enlightened…or die in the process.” The Gargoyle struggled to move his right arm toward his throat. “For the Miracle of Life!”

The Gargoyle sank the claws into his throat and violently tore it out; the adventurers were left to watch as the monster violently spasmed before finally ceasing all its movements.

“Damn it. Now were back to square one in trying to determine where these people are going to strike next.” Spearman sighed as rested his spear against his right shoulder.

“Still, we were able to save this village from any harm. We should be proud of our efforts here.” Lizard Priest smiled as he chuckled at how successful their battle had been.

“I will admit that with so many of us working together this battle was much easier than if we have tried to fight them alone.” Rookie Warrior smiled as he looked over the battlefield at the number of monsters they had defeated. “ _We’ve really come a long way since we first started._ ”

“That was quite the battle, I’m still excited with our teamwork and victory. This is how all adventures should be, don’t you agree Orcbolg? Orcbolg?”

The rest of the party looked around the area only to see Goblin Slayer already examining the corpses of the monsters to ensure they were dead while speaking to himself.

“These creatures with the three heads, all heads need to be destroyed for it to die…the one with stone can be defeated but heavy strikes are needed…”

“Even when goblins are directly involved Beardcutter still falls back on what he knows best.” Dwarf Shaman chuckled as he stroked his beard.

For those in the meeting hall all the screamed and roars finally came to an end, there was still hesitation about what might happen until the warrior padfoots outside called to them.

“The battle is over, the adventurers had defeated the monsters.”

There was a thunderous cheer from those inside the meeting hall and an in mere moments the door were opened as the villagers walked out to see the adventurers returning to the village. Cow Girl and the others were relieved to see everyone return unharmed and the village undamaged in the attack by these Faceless Men. Their first real fight had been won, but there were still many villages to inspect both large and small, and an unknown number of enemies waiting for them.

xxxx

“We should be arriving at the first village soon, as late as it is we could use a place to sleep and rest up.” Sage was calm as she looked toward Hero and Sword Saint.

For roughly a week they had traveled from Crossroads to their destination, along the way they stopped by three hamlets to warn the people of men who might be trying to poison. Major settlements such as Water Town and Frontier Town who had populations well over a thousand were fortunate enough to have messenger doves fly toward them, but for the smaller villages and hamlets, the people there were much on their own. It was up to the wandering adventurers and the villagers themselves to maintain a vigil around the area for the Faceless Men, unfortunately…many would not receive the warning in time.

“So far the journey has been going well wouldn’t you say?” Sword Saint looked toward her friend who in turn had a light smile on her face.

“We’ve been fortunate enough that there was no sign of the Faceless Men in those hamlets and now the people know to be on the lookout for the men and the monsters.” Hero smiled as she continued down the road with her comrades.

“They really need to get some adventurers out there to offer some form of protection. Hopefully the King can have some of his troops dispatched to check on the situation.” Sage still had a calm expression on her face as she conversed with her comrades.

“That’s assuming the situation is not too out of hand, the message came from Water Town, which means the King is there with the Sword Maiden.” Sword Saint frowned as she though about him possibly hiding away from this threat. “You…you don’t think…”

“No. The King is no coward, he fought alongside us at the battle for the capital. If he’s there at Water Town, then it means he’s also looking to get the Sword Maiden’s aid with this…this threat may be as serious as the revival of the Demon Lord.” Hero had a stern look on her face as she though about the battles they had fought and the monsters they encountered in Crossroads.

“You’re right, forgive me.”

“There’s nothing to forgive you…wait do you smell that?”

Hero paused as she took in the smell, her comrades also breathed in the night air and they could smell the foul smell of smoke all around them. They looked toward the horizon of the small village there was a faint glow in the distance. Without a moment of hesitation, the three young women charged forward down the road determined to find the source of the fire but had to stop at the sight before them. On the road was the body of a young child but atop it was a creature savagely feasting upon the boy’s innards. The adventurers looked at the monster and believed it to be a wolf or werewolf yet it looked sickly as even its flesh across its chest seemed to be stretched tight across its ribs and sternum. The creature continued to feed but soon stopped as its eyes fell upon the trio of women, it stood standing as tall as a man yet its arms seemed to be far too far long as they went past the monster knees.

“What the hell kind of monster is that?” Sword Saint immediately drew out her sword to strike at the monster. “A werewolf? It looks diseased though.”

“Whatever it is, we’re not about to let it kill any other innocent people.” Hero too drew out her sword as the monster continued to growl at them.

The werewolf ran towards them with clawed hands stretched outward as it opened its jaws as wide as it could, only for the Hero to split in half across the stomach. The monster let out a final growl as both halves of the body fell to the ground, its innards spilling from its still body. With the beast dead the women turned their attention toward the body of the young boy, Hero with a solemn look on her face bent down to close the open eyes of the young child.

“I’m sorry we weren’t able to get here in time, but you have been avenged.”

“Let’s get to the village and see if any others are injured. We can let them know about the werewolf and the young boy.” Sword Saint placed a firm hand on her comrade’s shoulder.

The trio of women continued toward the faint glow in the night and in a few minutes reached the entrance to the village…or what was left of it. The village was a blaze, and more than a dozen various monsters were seen feasting upon the bodies of the dead. This village had more than 60 people living there, by the time the Faceless men were finished, more than half of the people had mutated. Women who ingested the poison had transformed into winged monstrosities with pale skin like that of a corpse, the flesh on their arms stretched outward to create wings which allowed them sly through the air. Two of the Harpies clutched at the body of a woman who screamed for help until she was torn apart by the monster’s talons. Children found their flesh falling off their body as their muscle became their new skin, with clawed fingertips the scurried around the building like insects spewing fire from their mouth, the children had become Imps. The men mutated into the werewolf and spider-like monsters they had encountered before who through bodies aside or feasted upon the flesh of the humans who had not mutated. Those who had not mutated, somehow resistant to the elixir’s transformative properties, simply dropped dead from the poison.

“Supreme God no…the village…the people…” Hero was at a loss as she looked at the burning village filled with monsters devouring the people.

“They’re all gone. Not even when we traveled to hell did we see a sight such as this.” Sage brought a hand to cover her mouth, disgusted by the sight and sound of the monster spider devouring the body of a human in its hands.

“Wait, there in the center of this hell.” Sword Saint pointed straight ahead even as some of the monster finally noticed the new faces in the village.

Off in the center were three individuals each wearing black robes, the two men on the outside wore a plague mask to cover their face and a hood over the top of the head, the man in the middle had long oily black hair, a long thin face, pale skin and dull red eyes, they appeared to have an orange glow as the flames danced around them.

“Hmm…the elixir is proving quite remarkable, even when diluted. Female subjects adapt to the harpy blood and adopt physical characteristics. Children lose outer skin, muscle hardens to replace, ability to breathe fire such as the hell hounds…perhaps a side effect of the goblin blood and dragon blood.” The Necromancer had a calm expression on his face as he jotted down information about his observations. “Males adapt and adopt werewolf-like or arachnae-like appearance. Certain individuals, resistant to change, expire from Elixir in their system. Most intriguing.”

“A wonderful success for master.” The Faceless man to the right side of him nodded his head as he listen to the remarks.

“It is…and it isn’t.”

“Master?” The Faceless man to his left looked toward the Necromancer with a tilted head. “You’ve pushed humanity to the pinnacle of perfection. I would have thought you to be thrilled with the visible results.”

“Oh I am delighted with how well the elixir has gone, you two have done well administering it. However, what I’m looking for is something more. Only my loyal followers have so far be able to maintain their intelligence…there must be something else I’m missing, something else to make my elixir a true drink of the Gods, but what is it?” Necromancer frowned as he placed his right hand to his chin and gently tapped his index finger against the left side of his face.

The three suddenly heard an angry shout from behind them as well as the sounds of two of the monster’s shrieking in pain. The three men turned, a curious look on the Necromancer’s face as he looked for the source of the new noise. There these three men could see three female adventurers attacking the nearest creature with swords and magic. Hero and her comrades had slayed two of the harpies, one of the spiders, one of the werewolves and two of the red imp-like children before noticing the three men now looking back toward them.

“You damn beast, what the hell have you done here?” Sword Saint could feel the pain in her hand as she tightened her grip around her sword.

“These people, these innocent people did not deserve such a horrible fate.” Sage had lost her calm expression as now she too was furious by these men’s actions here in this village.

“You will pay for this action, you and these Faceless Men!” Hero though angry remembered the message speaking of a Necromancer leading the Faceless Men. “You…are you this Necromancer the King spoke of?”

“Master, it would seem that the adventurers know of our quest to bring the Miracle of Life to the villagers of the countryside.”

“It matters not, they are mere adventurers, my creations are more than capable of…” The Necromancer slowly turned away from the women, ready to continue his studied, when he quickly turned back to carefully study the adventurers. “ _A trio of young women…a young woman with red hair and apricot-colored eyes with a sword in hand. No, it can’t be…it would be far too convenient, I just know._ ”

Necromancer smirked as he turned to face the women, holding his left hand upward and with this simple action the monsters had all stopped and now stared at the women.

“You there, with the gleaming sword…are you the fabled Hero?” The Necromancer had a small smile on his face.

“I am the one who defeated the Demon Lord, so yes I am the Hero of this world…and I’m going to slay you here and now.”

The Necromancer began to chuckle but soon this chuckle began to rise until it devolved into maniacal laughter until he returned to a sinister chuckle.

“ _One chosen by the gods…you are the final piece I’m missing. The gods above must truly wish for me to succeed if they brought her here to me._ ” Necromancer had a sinister smile on his face as he motioned with his right hand for the monsters to attack. “Do not fear, you will greatly serve in aiding humanity reach its true potential.”


	70. Chapter 70

Hero and her party rushed forward to engage the monsters that had once been the villagers all the while the Necromancer and his two Faceless Men watched their battle. Hero and Sword Saint’s blade easily cut through the emaciated werewolves; their hides were not nearly as tough as the monsters they had encountered in Crossroads. Sage took aim at the harpies in the sky with her staff, casting lightning bolts to strike them down as they swooped in to attack. The only creatures that would prove to be bothersome were the Arachnids or spider-like creature though only possessing six limbs they were able to spew out web from the thorax-like bottom. Sword saint found this out the hard way as a quick spray covered her left leg and kept her from moving as the monstrous creature charged toward her.

“Ah horseshit, what the hell is this…” Sword Saint looked up to see the Arachnid spread out its four arms and open its jaws wide to attack her.

“Get away from her you monster!”

A bolt of fire passed through the monster’s head, piercing it and instantly setting it a blaze; the monster quickly collapsed to the ground much to the relief of Sword Saint. Hero quickly went to work slashing at the web around her friend’s legs once again allowing her to freely move about. The Necromancer watched the battle continue, against these powerful opponents a mere twenty monsters would not be nearly enough to defeat them but being able to observe their techniques and ability to work together was indeed quite enlightening.

“Master, you should flee while we keep them occupied. These fools do not fully understand the miracle you wish to endow the people with, and this world cannot afford to lose your brilliance.”

“Then I shall leave the matter to you, know that your sacrifice will not be in vain. You and my other loyal followers will be hailed for your bravery once the ignorant masses have been dealt with.” Necromancer had a calm smile on his face as he nodded toward his followers. “For the Miracle of Life!”

“For the Miracle of Life Master!”

The two Faceless Men quickly went about breaking the vials in the beaks of their masks and drinking their elixir while the Necromancer took a couple steps back. Just like the others they transformed, it may have been their constant being near the elixir in the sewers of their blind devotion, but unlike the villagers, they could retain their mental state as one grew into a hulking figure much like the Highway Man while the other mutated into was could be described as a giant bug with a dark brown exoskeleton and his mouth erupting mandibles.

“ _Now…how to get a hold of the Hero’s blood? I must quickly formulate a plan and with this, I may finally achieve my godhood._ ” Necromancer chuckled as he watched his subordinated stalk toward the heroes before whistling for his mount to approach. “Come to me Cerberus!”

There was growling sound, or rather there were multiple growls, as a beast, bigger than the Hellhound, walked toward the Necromancer. The beast, had three of the Hellhound faces sown to the body each head in a state of trauma such as large gashes from the splitting of the flesh on the right head, the center head had a giant eyeball in the center of its face with several smaller eyes scatter around its face and the left had several horns of varying size scatter around its snout. Attached to the body was a thick reptilian tail, taken from a dead lizardman, as thick scaled covered its clawed legs. Necromancer reached out to gently pet the heads despite the fearsome face the monster was giving while it continued to growl, but the beast did not attack him.

“ _Such a wonderful and beautiful creature, I wonder if this is because of multiple uses of the Elixir in its body to create such abnormalities. Oh well. I can always conduct further testing once the country is mine._ ” Necromancer chuckled before mounting the Cerberus to look back at the battlefield. “Hmmm…it would seem that the Hero is up to something. Let us leave this place my pet.”

The monster’s three heads roared in unison before it turned its body and ran from the village. What the Necromancer had seen was the Hero raising her sword high to use Sun Burst to rid this village of the monstrosities in one strike.

“May you find peace in the next life…Sun Burst!”

A bright light filled the night sky, as the blast erupted through the village, in that moment, the monsters closest to the hero and her party were vaporized while the others were blown apart as was the village. When the light subsided, all that remained of the village was little bit of rubble that had once been the houses and the small, charred remains of the monsters and the villagers. Hero lowered her sword as a visible frown crossed her face while she looked over the devastation of the her attack, though she and her party had stopped the monsters from going any further, the village had been completely wiped out in the attack.

“We…we couldn’t save any of them in the end.” Hero sighed as she closed her eyes.

“It needed to be done, this village was gone by the time we got here but now, others won’t have to worry about the monsters attacking their village.” Sage placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder in an effort to help console Hero.

“Will anyone even remember this village when we’re done…will anyone other than family even notice these people gone?”

“You can’t think like that, right now we have to stop the Necromancer before his evil destroys any other villages. He fled before your attack we can still catch up to him and end it here and now.” Sword Saint took hold of her sword and charged forward through the ruined village.

Hero and Sage were right behind her, she wad right of course, right now was no time to mourn the loss of these people but to find and destroy this evil as they had been directed by the Supreme God to do. The three girls rushed ahead, Hero overtaking Sword Saint as she wanted to put an end to the Necromancer that very instant.

“A hear a noise ahead of us…sounds like running water.” Sword Saint calmly replied through ragged breaths as they continued to run.

“Tha must be the river…we’ll be crossing it soon then.” Sage also struggled to keep up with her comrades as they rushed onward.

Hero continued to push herself ahead when she saw a wide bridge wooden bridge ahead of them and on the opposite side of the bridge was a man standing there, and beside it was a massive creature with red skin.

“The Necromancer!” Hero tightened her grip as a sudden adrenaline boost pushed her faster to kill this man.

Using her Agility, she suddenly leapt into the air, leaping across the bridge in a single jump ready to split the man in two with one strike of her sword. She noticed the Necromancer’s mouth moving as he mumbled something while holding out his left hand.

“You die here and now by my sword!”

“Protection.”

Hero’s sword suddenly struck something that wasn’t there, an invisible barrier now appeared between her and the Necromancer.

“ _This…this spell, I’ve seen it before with that Priestess who travels with Goblin Slayer, how can he use it?_ ”

“Destroy the supports.” Necromancer was calm in his delivery as he lowered his left hand.

The Cerberus roared as with a swipe of its mighty claw destroyed one of the thick wooden support poles then quickly repeated same action before the Hero could react. The bridge creaked before finally breaking apart, Hero in a panicked leapt forward and gripped the earthen ledge with her left hand to keep herself from dropping into the swift moving water below. Her comrades were on the opposite side of the looking in shock as their friend dangled there with the Necromancer and the Cerberus standing right over her.

“Damn it.”

“You need not worry my child, I have no interest in killing you here and now, I need you and the others to stay alive to see the wonders of my work.” Necromancer had a small smile on his face as he chuckled looking down at the young woman.

“You damn bastard, I’ve seen your wonder or rather the horrors you unleashed upon this world! Hell is too good for the like of you!”

“My, my, what a temper you have, but you should be rejoicing…you are going to help create a brand-new paradise on this world.” Necromancer had a sinister grin on his face as he took out a small knife from within his cloak. “For the Miracle of Life.”

Hero worried he would actually kill her then and now, but instead watched as he quickly raked this blade across the top of her left hand. Hero gave a brief yell and found her grip slipping as she fell down, in a panic she rammed her sword into the earthen wall to stop herself from plummeting into the river below, halfway down the wall she clung to the grip of her sword with both hands. Her comrades were relieved to find her still above the water but there was still immediate concern for the Necromancer and his beast were still nearby seen calmly walking away from the scene. Though they wanted to attack him, rescuing their friend took priority.

“I’m going to toss you a rope, you’ll have to loosen your grip on the sword to catch it!” Sword Saint sheathed her sword and quickly took out her rope and before tossing it towards her friend.

The Hero now handing onto her sword with her right hand reached out with her left hand to catch the end of the rope. Sword Saint and Sage took hold of the rope while Hero placed both feet on the wall an pushed off, pulling her sword free and as she fell into the water below. Had she not held onto the rope, she would have fallen into the water and eventually drowned with the weight of her armor, but her friends quickly began to pull on the rope and after a few tense minutes helped pull Hero back up to their side of the river.

“Are you okay?” Sage knelt down to check on her soaked friend.

“I’ll be fine…thank you both, you saved me.” Hero coughed out the last of the water and was breathing heavy as she struggled to catch her breath.

“That damn man got away! We had him, but…”

“He used Protection.” Hero recalled the invisible wall that appeared between her and the Necromancer. “How the hell can the gods allow him to use such a technique?”

The young women were left there to question what they had seen both in the village and with this man and just what this meant for the world. While they were still recovering from the harrowing rescue, Necromancer was calmly examining his knife and smiling at the blood left along the edge of the blade.

“Good, I managed to draw some of her blood and now…” Necromancer reached into his cloak and pulled out a vial of the Elixir he had been saving for himself and pulled out to stopper with his teeth. “…let us see if my hypothesis is correct.”

Necromancer scrapped the blade across the top of the vial and watched with a smile as the Hero’s blood slid down the side of the glass vial. Her blood mixed with the Elixir and after a few silent moments he saw the liquid in the vial suddenly turn red as a bright glow could be seen radiating from within.

“It must be the will of the gods that I had a chance to encounter that woman here and now.” Necromancer chuckled as he replaced the stopper and admired the red glowing liquid in his hand. “There is only one obvious answer here…the gods are inviting me to take my place among them and with this…I am one step closer to achieving that goal. All that’s left is to burn down this old world and raise a new one.”

xxxx

“Okay, so that makes the Padfoot village the fifth place we’ve checked within a week of travel.” Dwarf Shaman took out a map of the countryside and crossed off the villages and farmlands they had seen thus far.

The morning after the battle, and a few restful hours for the adventurers, the party departed from the Padfoot village with the villagers thanking them for their timely rescue and the children happily waving. From Frontier Town, the group had started with the hero’s village and told them to be careful of the faceless men and continued n their way until the recent Padfoot Village. The group decided that it would be in their best effort to secure the “perimeter” as it were before moving further into the countryside.

“You think we’re the only group that knows about these men and their monsters?” Rookie Warrior sighed as he leaned his back up against the wheel of the nearest wagon.

“No, if this Necromancer and his subordinates are making a move other villages and adventurers will be out and about.” Heavy Warrior shook his head as he looked over the map with Dwarf Shaman. “We just need to stick with our plan and gather what information from the villagers so we can determine what areas have not been checked yet.”

“And who made you leader?” Spearman frowned as he looked toward Heavy Warrior, though he really didn’t mean to start anything.

“No one, just going by what we discussed earlier. You’re free to take over.” Heavy Warrior smirked before turning his attention back toward the map.

Off to the side Half-Elf Light Warrior and Scout Boy were doing so practice sparring, Lizard Priest was teaching his daughter and Goblin Slayer was looking over the area with Wolf and Snow.

“What are you looking for Goblin Slayer?” Spearman turned his attention toward the armored adventurer.

“Goblins. Even while we take on this quest, we can’t ignore them.”

“Given what we’ve seen, I’d gladly welcome a little bit of goblin hunting.” Spearman sighed as he too went to lean against the wagon.

“Now, close your eyes and see if you can find your connection to your great dragon ancestors.” Lizard Priest had his eyes closed and his hands pressed together as he calmly exhaled.

His daughter copied her father’s movements but when she closed her eyes all she saw was darkness.

“I’m not seeing anything papa.”

“It will come in time; you want to picture the great dragons from whom you descend from.”

“What do they look like? In the time my mama traveled we never met any other dragons.”

“These dragons themselves don’t take on a physical form, rather you feel their presence and other time you begin to see their bright eyes shining in the darkness looking at you. It may be somewhat scary at first to see this, but if you mean no ill-will to them then you have nothing to fear.”

Dwarf Shaman smiled as he watched Lizard Priest teach his daughter, this short break was made possible when High Elf Archer could hear the sound of running water moving calmly enough that it could only be a stream. The women decided to go down and wash themselves as they did not have the time after their fight in the Padfoot Village and made sure that Half-Dragon Daughter would stay behind to tell them if any of men tried to peak at them.

“Hey Long Ears, how much longer?”

“Be quiet dwarf, let us enjoy this respite from the recent battle…AND DON”T YOU DARE PEEK!”

“Why would I peek, I’ve already seen the anvil in the Blacksmith’s shop!” Dwarf Shaman chuckled to himself as he already knew what kind of reaction he get.

“SHUT IT YOU FAT BARREL!”

Dwarf Shaman broke into laughter as the others around him also chuckled, for the Half-Elf Light Warrior and Scout Boy the prospect of seen these lovely women washing themselves was enticing, but then they would have to deal with the wrath of Heavy Warrior and Spearman who fancied their own women, not to mention the Female Knight and the others.

“Hey come on, you want to see her too don’t you?” Half-Elf Light Warrior joked as he moved to elbow Rookie Warrior’s sides.

“Huh…well…I’ve already seen her.”

“Wait what…when?” Scout Boy was at a loss for what he was hearing.

“We…spent the night together a while back…and recently as well.” A visible blush present on Rookie Warrior’s face as he felt embarrassed to talk about this in front of the others.

While this was going on the ladies, down the embankment, away from prying eyes, wiped their bodies down aiding in washing away the tension, though they made sure to keep their weapons handy should anything happen. Guild Girl was not quite used to all the travel and made sure to wear something more akin to what Cow Girl would wear so that she could be comfortable and able to aid in any way possible.

“Stupid Dwarf and his idiotic comments. It does feel rather nice to rest my feet in the cool water.” High Elf Archer’s frown quickly changed to that of a smile as she soaked her feet in the water.

“It really does feel nice.” Guild Girl commented as she wiped down her neck and arm with the cool rag.

“Thank you for telling them to keep from spying on us.” Druid Girl still felt a bit uncomfortable with some many well-endowed women around her and the prospect of her comrades possibly watching her form from the road above.

“Though in truth…I wouldn’t mind…if he were to join me.” Witch smiled as she dried her body.

“Thinking about the Spearman of your huh?” Female Knight having finished washing up was already putting her clothing and armor back on.

“Is it not…the same for you…and he?”

“I think if I was to go into detail about what he and I do, I’m likely to make the rest of you blush.” Female Knight chuckled though there was a blush evident on her face. “What about the rest of you, don’t you wish for them to potential peep on you?”

Many of the women were quiet as they each imagined the men watching them, the red hue evident on their face as they pictured certain individuals observing their form.

“My Love has already seen me so, like you I would not mind having him here with me.” Half-Dragon Mother smiled as she pictured Lizard Priest with her.

“And the rest of you…perhaps…a certain…armored adventurer?”

Priestess was suddenly reminded of waking up to find Goblin Slayer sitting with his back to her the time they were in Water Town and her face lit up. High Elf Archer was the same when she though about Goblin Slayer rescuing her in her nightmare during the Lich Queen’s attack. Guild Girl and Half-Demon Thief were silent and surprised by the suggestion from Witch and the thought of Goblin Slayer seeing them. Though a blush was present on her face Cow Girl face, she also smiled when she though back to the time her friend saw her and commented on her figure.

“Oh, is that a smile I see on your face there?” Female Knight chuckled as she looked toward Cow Girl.

“I…I wouldn’t mind him seeing me again. He said it was nice.” Cow Girl smiled as she walked away from the stream.

There was a look of shock from many of the women as they registered what she had said and almost instantly they wanted to ask questions and get more detail, but Cow Girl only smiled as she redressed.

“Another time, we should hurry.” Cow Girl smiled toward them before making her way up the hill to meet with the others.

xxxx

“Supreme God no.”

The King, Sword Maiden and their small detachment had been fortunate enough to reach the nearest villages before the Faceless Men had a chance to attack, in one case slaying them men before they could poison the water well. In their caravan were ten warrior priests and priestesses as well as 20 of the king’s best men. This village they had reached though, had been laid to waste, many of the buildings were demolished and remains of people could be seen scattered around the area. Off in one of the ruined fields, the caravan could see piles of bodies set ablaze on a bonfire, perhaps the people themselves believed this would cleanse the evil in the land by burning the corpses.

“My…my lady are you alright?” One of the Warrior Priestesses asked as she covered her mouth to avoid the smell of burning flesh.

“This smell…I have unfortunately smelt it before. How many?” Sword Maiden had a visible frown on her face as she turned toward the King.

“Too many, I see people gathered on the outskirts of the village on the other side there. Let us see who needs assistance.”

The caravan calmly walked onward through the ruined village carefully examining all the destruction around them, these poor villagers had no warning of what was to come but it seemed as though not the entire village had been affected. On the opposite side of the village, they could see more than a couple dozen people gathered near the village elder, off to the side they could see bodies laid out and covered with sheets. The King could see the parents holding onto their children’s hand and a fearful look on their faces.

“ _Those bodies they seem so small…the poor children._ ” The King frowned as he looked toward the bodies then back to the village elder who stood near a young child. “ _Perhaps a funeral for the fallen people. Wait…these kids look terrified for some reason._ ”

“A terrible curse has befallen the land. Man, woman and child…neighbor and friend…none are free from this terrible fate. The evil of the world has consumed us and now turns us into the very monsters we fight to protect ourselves from.” The village elder looked to the young child near him who was trembling with fear. “We must do the right thing and spare our children from this terrible fate…it is the will of the Supreme God.”

The village elder raised his right hand high and it was then that the King and the others could see the large knife in his hand. Before they could stop it, the elder stabbed the blade into the young boy’s midsection who screamed in pain as the elder slowly dragged the blade across his stomach.

“What the hell are you doing!”

The people turned, finally realizing there were others watching them, many of the people holding their children tightly as if they were afraid of the King and Sword Maiden. Even with her blindfold covering her eyes, she stood there with mouth agape as she watched the shadow of the young child fade as he died there.

“My Lord, you need not worry we are doing the will of the Supreme God, sparing our children of this foul curse.” The Village Elder had a weak smile on his face as he hoped the King would understand and be happy with their efforts.

“You damn fool I should kill you here and now! There is no curse upon the land, your water has been poisoned!” The King drew out his sword wanting to kill this man but controlled his rage.

“Poison?”

“Unhand those children immediately!” Sword Maiden pushed past many of the people to check upon the young boy who had been slain.

The villagers responded and released their children who immediately ran from their parents towards the King and his men while Sword Maiden clutched her sword and scales and dropped to her knees to check on the young child. Even though she knew there was nothing she could do, she gently placed her hand upon the dead children and reached up to close his eyes, tears running down her cheeks before she turned her attention toward the Village Elder with glare.

“I…I didn’t know…I thought this was the only way to save them…we did this because we thought it would please the Supreme God!”

“You…your ignorance has killed this and those other poor children!” Sword Maiden stood and walked toward the elder and slapped him across the face. “I should do much worse, but then I would be no better than you!”

“That’s enough, we need to find these Faceless Men and put an end to their evil.” The King frowned as he looked over the land then his eyes fell upon the well. “There we need to do something about the well, perhaps maybe destroy it and collapse the well to prevent others from drinking the water.”

“No my Lord, the water would still be contaminated…we must purify the land.” Sword Maiden calmly walked toward the center of the village with sword and scales in hand. “Lord of judgement, sword-prince, scale-bearer, shower this land with you mercy…Purify!”

Sword Maiden slammed her sword upon the ground, and a dome of golden light bathed the land. The villagers had to cover their eyes while those who traveled with Sword Maiden watched as the light slowly receded back towards her.

“The land should now be cleansed of the foul elixir your Majesty.”

“Thank you for saving this land.” The King had a light smile as he looked toward Sword Maiden then turned his gaze towards the surviving villagers. “Your land and water have been purified, I will not tolerate any further actions as what you have demonstrated. See that these children are protected!”

“Wait a minute! You and your subordinates just wander in and expect us to believe your word. King or not, you have not seen the horrors we have!” One of the villagers was pointing a finger at the group with a scowl on his face. “How are we supposed to know for sure that this poison you claim was in the water is really gone?”

There were other villagers who also angrily voiced their opinions about the King and his supposed pompous attitude. The King had enough of their petty behaviors and boldly walked toward the well much to the surprise of everyone and began to pull up the pale of water. Once at the top, he grabbed the nearby ladle and dunked it into the water before bringing it to his lips to drink the water.

“Your Majesty!” The King’s Lieutenant looked toward his lord with wide eyes.

The villagers too looked on with shock faces, they had seen how those who drank the water transformed, in their minds it was because the curse they believed had fallen upon the land. The King finished the water before setting the ladle down and turning to face the others.

“I am not one who just sits on his throne, content with power alone. My responsibility it to my people!”

The villagers immediately dropped to one knee and bowed their heads toward the King, who remained unaffected by the water he just drank.

“Fools!”

The King and the others turned their attention toward the forest and just as the other hamlet they saw two figures in black robes with plague masks upon their faces.

“How dare you use your wretched magic to undo the miracles our master has bestowed upon this land.”

“Your master’s miracles? More like the atrocities he has committed against these people.” The Sword Maiden was rather angry as she looked toward the top of the hill.

“You will be vanquished here and now! When we find your master, this Necromancer he too shall share in the same fate!” King drew out his sword, a long gleaming blade made by the high elves long ago.

“You are fools.” The Faceless Man raised his left hand and snapped his fingers.

There was visible rustling within the trees and out emerged the transformed villagers. The men had become horrid werewolves, the children red, devilish imps and the women grey-skinned harpies flapping their wings in the sky. Further behind them was loud pounding as if something heavy was hitting the ground, literally knocking over a couple of the trees and out emerged two of the goblin Brutes.

“What…what are those giants? They look like goblins but they’re massive.” A female warrior priestess was rather worried at the sight of these creatures.

The moment goblins were mentioned, Sword Maiden felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her. She looked towards the hill, she at first was not sure of the two massive shapes, believing them to be trolls, but now that she was told they were goblins, she wondered what she would do.

“ _Goblins…why goblins? He is not here. Can…can I actually fight?_ ”

“ _If any more goblins appear, call me…I’ll kill them for you._ ”

Goblin Slayer’s words echoed in her mind, even if he was not here, she need only recall his image and that would give her the strength she need…or at least she would hope that would be the case. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to observe the shadow of the King.

“I can focus on the goblins; I know that they’re not the easiest target for you. If you’ll focus on the other monsters.” The King made sure his voice would carry to the villagers, the priests, or his own soldiers.

“I appreciate the offer, but as a hero myself, I too have to pull my own weight.” Sword Maiden smiled as she tightened her on her sword and scales. “ _When next I see him, I can now proudly tell him I was able to stand against these monsters._ ”

The Faceless Men drank their own elixir vials and transformed into monstrous spider-like creatures whose slime-like drool oozed out of their mouths.

“I need five of my men and five of the warrior priests to stay with the villagers. The rest weapons at the ready!” The King stood at the front of the group gripping his sword with both hands.

“Slaughter the people! Feed upon their flesh!”

The nightmare creatures charged forward to devour the villagers only to see Sword Maiden step up with her sword and scale raised high.

“Lord of judgement, sword-prince, scale-bearer, bathe the land in your radiant glow…Holy Light!”

A bright light flooded the land and the monsters screamed in pain as they were blinded by the light. With the creatures blinded the soldiers charged with swords and arrows while the warrior priests began to chanting for their miracles against the creatures.

“Come forth…alligator!”

Sword Maiden held out her sword and a portal of light appeared and from within rushed out the massive white alligator hissing loudly while snapping his jaws. Sword Maiden rushed and leapt onto the back of the massive alligator and placed her left hand upon the creature’s back.

“We must keep these beasts from harming the villagers.”

The alligator bellowed before charging forward, one of the Brutes would swing it arms from side to side in an attempt to strike at the attacking warriors when the white alligator bit down on the brute’s arm and dragged it to the ground before savagely shaking its head from side to side until it had torn the arm off. With the brute down, Sword Maiden once again tapped her familiar and the alligator quickly backed while devouring the goblin arm.

“Even I am able to deal with a single goblin.” Sword Maiden once again raised up her sword to begin her chant. “Lord of judgement, sword-prince, scale-bearer, grant us the speed and accuracy of your light…Arrow of Light!”

At one nearly a dozen arrows of pure golden lights erupted from her sword each one tearing into the body of the Brute killing it in a matter of moments. Sword Maiden breathed a sigh of relief as she wiped the sweat from across her forehead, the cause of which from both the use of miracles one after another and the fear of fighting the goblin.

“ _I did it. I really did it. I’m sure even my dear Goblin Slayer would praise me for such fine work._ ” Sword Maiden smiled then gasped as she returned her attention back to the battle around her. “Let us continue this fight.”

She gave her alligator a few gentle pets who finished devouring the arm of the Brute before roaring and charging toward the next closest monster. The King flew through the air as if he weighed nothing despite being in his militaristic outfit and light armor, with a single swipe of his eleven blade her decapitated one of the mutated Faceless Men. He gave a brief grunt of disgust and dissatisfaction was the giant body slumped to the ground with a heavy thud.

“How pathetic. You’ve been completely deceived by this Necromancer to the point you willingly allowed yourself to become a monster.” The King then turned his attention toward the final Brute who charged toward him. “A giant goblin is still just a goblin.”

The King quickly jumped back as the Brute smashed both of its mighty fists down upon the ground where he had been standing moments before. The Brute growled as it looked toward the human who stood before him with sword pointed forward like a fencer.

“No matter how big you are or how massive your muscle are, mindless strength is nothing to developed skill.”

The Brute roared as it once again attempted to strike the human with his left fist but the King swung his sword to the side meeting some resistance but just as before cut through the monster’s arm. The Brute did not seem fazed as it looked toward its bleeding stump before trying once again with its right fist to kill the human and just as before, the King cut through the monster. With a final swing of his blade he decapitated the monster giving his sword a quick slash to the side to remove the Brute’s blood before sheathing it. With the combined effort of the soldiers and warrior priests the monsters had been defeated though there had been two fatalities, two of the soldiers had gotten to eager and were cut down by the werewolves.

“Thus ends this battle.” The King frowned as he looked over the carnage and the two bodies which were now covered with a cloth. “Thank you, both of you, for all your hard work. Your sacrifice was not in vain, the village is saved.”

The King had gone to speak with the villagers while Sword Maiden finished her prayers for the fallen and the caravan reorganized by the other end of the village and carefully loaded the bodies onto the wagon.

“We shall see that they receive a decent burial once we have left this place.” Sword Maiden frowned as she looked toward the bodies then back to the King.

“Your village has been freed from the horrors of the Necromancer. Watch for others in black robes and plague masks as they may try and repeat the same atrocity.” The King had a scowl on his face as he looked over the villagers, still angered by their ignorance.

“Thank you, Your Majesty, we apologize for our foolishness.” The Villager elder along with the rest of the villagers bowed their heads.

“Do not apologize to me, apologize to your children. These young ones require your protection, and you won’t be protecting anyone by giving into your fear.” The King turned his attention toward the children with a bit of a small frown. “ _These poor kids will have a hard time trusting these people but I’m hopeful they’ll be able to grow up with no further problems._ ”

“We are ready to depart when you are Your Majesty.” The King’s second in command calmly approached with the king’s horse in tow.

The King nodded as he graciously mounted the horse to join the others, but before they caravan could head out, the village elder called out to the King.

“Your Majesty! Before you leave, I must tell you that a group of adventurers passed through here some time ago, they bought supplies to hunt goblins.”

“Goblins…was one of them a man in leather armor with a large dire wolf?” Sword Maiden could not contain the smile on her face, nor the blush, as she though about seeing Goblin Slayer again.

“A dire wolf? No this was a group of five young figures, but in addition to burning supplies they also refilled their drinking pouches with water from our well!”

“What? They took water from the well? When?” The King was visibly worried about the spread of this poison.

“Right around the time we started experiencing these problems, less than a week ago.”

The King and Sword Maiden both had a frown upon their face as they turned their attention to the forests and wandering countryside wondering just how far this evil would spread.

xxxx

That evening, the five adventurers groaned as they writhed in pain along the floor of the forest. They had begun to experience some discomfort shortly after leaving the village, but now they were in so much pain they could not stand back up. They had come to slay the goblins that had been plaguing a nearby village, but this strange illness seemed to but any stop to those plans. Their leader suddenly heard a cry of pain come from one of his comrades and as he struggled to turn saw a goblin plunge his dagger into the boy’s stomach. He heard the cackling and managed to see the horde of goblins surrounding them with weapons in hand but there was little any of them could do.

The goblins moved in closer to attack and devour the humans when they heard a scream of pain cry out from the boy they had just stabbed. The goblins looked to see dead human thrash about but soon enough all the humans were acting in the same manner, which greatly confused the small monsters. The human with the dagger in his stomach suddenly roared as he jumped up and from his side two extra arms exploded from either side of his body. The goblins closest to him collapsed to floor in shock and fear as the human continued to transform its teeth changing the massive jaws and its backside now resembling the thorax of a spider. The human, or rather the Arachnid lunged forward and snatched up one of the goblins and began to feed upon him. The goblins screamed in fear but there was nowhere to run, the other humans had transformed as well and covered the small goblins bodies in thick webs before moving into to feed upon their would-be assailants. The screams of the goblins and the roars of the monsters drew the attention of two of the Faceless Men who stood on the outskirts of a ruined village with the menagerie of monsters around them.

“It would seem, that some poor unfortunate creature has encountered the miracles of the master.”

“Indeed, let use continue to spread his wondrous gift with the rest of the countryside.”


End file.
